Good Life March 2014 by The Good Life

WOMEN RIDERS OF THE PASAYTEN Y EVENTS CALENDAR

WENATCHEE VALLEY’S

NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE

March 2014

Digging in for another bountiful season in a

garden utopia

•

Price: $3

Now open in East Wenatchee, Lulu’s offers a full-bar lounge, lunch and dinner menus along with wine-paired tastings for a fun, relaxing evening. Come in today and see why Lulu’s is raising the bar in Wenatchee Valley. Find us on Facebook-Lulu’s Kitchen to see our menu, daily specials, wine tasting and cooking classes.

Located at the NE corner of Grant Rd and Eastmont. Open Seven Days A Week

595 Grant Road, Ste 6 East Wenatchee (509) 888-9690

Contents

page 9

women riders of the pasayten

Features

slumber parties aren’t just for teens

But for these women, plenty of teenage behavior goes on

12 anxious to garden

Feeling cooped up by winter? One gardener readies for spring

14 hearing that old whistle blow

There’s something about those old steam train that gets a guy itching to ride the rails again

16 adoring el salvador

UPDATE: They went down as visitors... and now operate an expanding hospitality business

18 what an 80th birthday year!

From floating the Mississippi to touring in Iceland, from biking in Scotland to riding with the dogs in Alaska — and more

22 sunshine power

Does solar energy make dollars and sense here in the land of cheap hydro energy? These people say “Yes!”

24 log love

This house was going to be a quick flip for a profit — then it became a family home with a deep emotional attachment

ART SKETCHES

n Dance instructor Jen Phillips, page 34 n Author Mark Neher, page 38 Columns & Departments 28 June Darling: Balancing work and life 30 Bonnie Orr: Fresh herbs from the garden 31 Pet Tales: A real Champ 32 The traveling doctor: A good day to die 34-39 Arts & Entertainment & a Dan McConnell cartoon 37 The night sky: Watching the planets 40 History: Wild Goose Bill was an early character 42 Alex Saliby: Chill, man, that red is too hot March 2014 | The Good Life

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OPENING SHOT

Year 8, Number 3 March 2014 The Good Life is published by NCW Good Life, LLC, dba The Good Life 10 First Street, Suite 108 Wenatchee, WA 98801 PHONE: (509) 888-6527 EMAIL: editor@ncwgoodlife.com sales@ncwgoodlife.com ONLINE: www.ncwgoodlife.com FACEBOOK: facebook.com/pages/ The-Good-Life Editor/Publisher, Mike Cassidy Contributors, Landon Michaelson, Terri Bawden, Katherine March, Lance Stegemann, Chuck Strawn, D’Arcy Burke, Susan Campbell Shell, Susan Gillin, Donna Cassidy, Bonnie Orr, Alex Saliby, Jim Brown, June Darling, Dan McConnell, Susan Lagsdin, Peter Lind and Rod Molzahn Advertising manager, Terry Smith Advertising sales, Lianne Taylor and Donna Cassidy Bookkeeping and circulation, Donna Cassidy Proofing, Dianne Cornell Ad design, Rick Conant TO SUBSCRIBE: For $25, ($30 out of state address) you can have 12 issues of The Good Life mailed to you or a friend. Send payment to: The Good Life 10 First Street, Suite 108 Wenatchee, WA 98801 Phone 888-6527 Online: www.ncwgoodlife.com To subscribe/renew by email, send credit card info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com BUY A COPY of The Good Life at Hastings, Caffé Mela, Walgreens (Wenatchee and East Wenatchee), Mike’s Meats at Pybus, Martin’s Market Place (Cashmere) and A Book for All Seasons (Leavenworth) ADVERTISING: For information about advertising in The Good Life, contact advertising at (509) 8886527, or sales@ncwgoodlife.com WRITE FOR THE GOOD LIFE: We welcome articles about people from Chelan and Douglas counties. Send your idea to Mike Cassidy at editor@ncwgoodlife.com The Good Life® is a registered trademark of NCW Good Life, LLC.

frost explosion by Landon Michaelson

My first in-

troduction to the Wenatchee Valley was stopping on our way to Spokane across the street from the courthouse when I was 5. It was Aug. 6, 1974 and within minutes of parking we experienced the huge explosion and mushroom cloud and resulting fires from the Appleyard Terminal rail car explosion. We never made it to Spokane as the only bridge was closed. My parents found a home in town, made an offer on it and we soon moved in. So I came into town with a bang and never left. I have been interested in creating photographic images since my first “real camera” when I was 14. I have always found the area photographic and enjoy coming home to this area after

traveling elsewhere. This image was taken while exploring the Stemilt Loop Road during the recent frost that was accumulating. I captured this image on the way home with my wife and kids in a little spot I have been thinking about for some time. I visualized this shot in two formats, one being a panorama and the other a square. I liked the square most, so I shared that one.

I have been a graphic designer since 1987, a professional photographer since 2005 and this year I am reinventing myself, my approach to image making and working on personal projects more than ever before. You can check out my work, more about me and what I am creating next at bksecret.com Landon Michaelson is a past president and current training coordinator for the Photography Association of Wenatchee that meets monthly (paworg.ning.com).

On the cover At Highgate, we encourage a variety of social activities as part of our holistic approach to both Assisted Living and Memory Care. Come see for yourself the many ways our residents are supported in staying actively engaged in life. email: wenatchee@highgateseniorliving.com phone: 509-665-6695 web: HighgateSeniorLiving.com

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Barbara Stegemann took this photo of her husband, Lance, next to the chicken tractor he built. She suggested the traditional red color for the mobile chicken house. See page 12 to read about Lance’s joy of gardening.

editor’s notes

MIKE CASSIDY

Dr. Oz: This is the real Good Life An alert reader from Cash-

mere called on a recent morning to ask: “Did you know that Dr. Oz is starting The Good Life magazine? Are you working with him?” Not only did I not know Dr. Oz had a Good Life magazine, but I barely knew who Dr. Oz is, I told her. (Actually, I do recall seeing his name on tabloid magazine covers as I stood in a cashier line at the local grocery… but since the covers all blend together, I couldn’t recall if he was a buddy of Elvis, is dating Jennifer Aniston or made a prediction that a plague of radioactive ants will devour the world.) “Well, he is promoting The

Good Life on his show, and I thought you should know,” said the Cashmere caller. In the next couple of hours, I received a similar call from another reader, followed by an email from longtime wine columnist Alex Saliby who wanted to know if Dr. Oz was his real boss. Then this email came in: My wife and I are interested in a “published article” submitted by Dr. Oz. It appeared in one of your current “The Good Life” magazines… The article had to do with a special diet that started off with no wheat or whole grain products and no coffee. Howev-

March 2014 | The Good Life

er it allows all fruits and veggies. Also, proteins and meats are OK. … we would be interested in a subscription if we find this issue to contain other topics of interest. No cups of steaming caffeine? I was tempted to respond that due to a production error, a few lines of type were incorrectly omitted from Dr. Oz’s article — he actually called for a couple of beers with breakfast, a glazed bearclaw from the local supermarket bakery for lunch and nothing but eggnog poured over steak for dinner. Still… that would be rude. Not The Good Life at all. We do have a trademark for our magazine name, but it is pretty much limited to our local market area. In other words, if someone from Monitor Flats started a magazine called The Good Life, we would come in attorneys a’blazing, but when the magazine comes out of New York… well it would not be economically prudent to hire

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lawyers to fight that battle of copycatting our name. I can say, “Na-na-na we were here first,” but that’s about it. So, Dr. Oz welcome to the world of publishing. (A word of advice though: you might find coffee a basic food group on deadline weeks.) Oh, and one more thing: Right before I drift off to sleep these nights, I fantasize over a clerk-typist in some New York ad agency scheduling full-page national ads, and because she’s a little fuzzy-minded that day, she inputs our email address, rather than the address for Dr. Oz’s publication. If the day should come when clusters of full-page national ads start appearing in our local The Good Life magazine, you’ll find me hoisting a bearclaw in a salute to the lack of imagination of the good doctor Oz. Be an original. Enjoy The Good Life. — Mike.

fun stuff a full LISTING of what to do begins ON PAGE 35

What’s there to do in March? Some ideas Y

ou can run, you can watch, you can listen, you can learn but you can’t say there’s nothing to do during St. Paddy’s favorite month. Check out some of these events, taken from this month’s What To Do calendar: Winter Special Olympics

— Nearly 1,500 athletes converge on Wenatchee and Leavenworth to compete over three days in basketball, skiing, speed skating, figure skating and snowboarding. Friday through Sunday, Feb. 28 - March 2. Info: specialolympicswashington.org. Ingalls Creek Winter Hike — Join photographer and fire

ecology enthusiast John Marshall and entomologist Connie Mehmel for a winter hike on the Ingalls Creek trail to enjoy the winter wildlife and discuss forest health. John will talk about the importance of fire as an inevitable and integral part of forest ecology, but also a force with the potential for destruction. Connie will discuss insects and their effect on forest health. Saturday, March 1, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Info: cdlandtrust.org. Strollin through your colon — This is a different kind

TOP: The Crash Reel at Snowy Owl Theater, 7 p.m. March 7. MIDDLE: Special Olympics Feb. 28 March 2. RIGHT: St. Paddy’s Day run for the green March 13.

of “hike,” but you have to admit the title is catchy. The staff and physicians of Confluence Health invite you to stroll through your colon as part of a regular series of educational and fun programs at Pybus. Medical experts will be on hand to tell you how to prevent and detect colon cancer. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, March 1 & 2. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org. Vox Docs Film Festival — A weekend documentary festival showcasing the best documentaries of the year with titles that have been sweeping “best of festival” awards around the globe. The Crash Reel — about the crushing accident to snowboarder Kevin Pearce and his dilemma on whether to seek a come back. 7 p.m. Friday, $15. Blackfish — the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale

that killed several people while in captivity. Noon Saturday. $10. Twenty Feet From Stardom — a spotlight on the untold true story of the backup singers behind some of the greatest musical legends of the 21st century. 2 p.m. Saturday. $10. Blood Brother — Rocky Braat, a young man from a fractured family and a troubled past, went traveling through India without a plan. Then he met a group of HIV positive children living in an orphanage — a meeting that changed everything for him. 5 p.m. Saturday. $10. The Square — an immersive experience, transporting the viewer deeply into the intense emotional drama of the ongoing Egyptian Revolution. 7 p.m. Saturday. $10. Snowy Owl Theater. Leavenworth. Friday and Saturday, March 7 & 8. Info: voxdocs.org.

Music for the Heart and Soul —Emcee Matt Cadman,

along with the Apollo Club, Wenatchee Appleaires, Mariachi Huenachi, Common Bond 5, Columbia Chorale, Living Waters, Old Time Fiddlers will perform at this Mobile Meals benefit concert. Friday, March 7, 7 p.m. Performing Arts Center. Cost: $12 in advance or $17 at the door. Info: pacwen.org. St. Paddy’s Run — Beer discounts at Saddle Rock Pub, prizes from RunWenatchee for best dressed St. Paddy’s attire and a surprise appearance by a special guest. Starts at Saddle Rock Pub. Thursday, March 13, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. St. Patrick’s Day Parade —

Don’t forget the world’s shortest parade, sponsored by Sunny FM and the Wenatchee Downtown Kiwanis. One block long starting at the corner of Orondo and Mission Street, Wenatchee. Monday, March 17, around 5ish.

To subscribe: Send $25 ($30 out of state) to: The Good Life 10 First Street, #108, Wenatchee, WA 98801 Or: e-mail: donna@ncwgoodlife.com visit: www.ncwgoodlife.com

Relish your days 6

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guest column // terri bawden

Slumber parties aren’t just for teenagers anymore! than our bodies of course. We’ve gone from super athletes, cheerleaders, and homecoming queens to aging women with artificial body parts and sagging skin. But our inner spirit is still the same; our personalities have not changed at all. As we said our good-byes that first year, we all pledged we must do it again, but I don’t think anyone realized that it would become such an important part of our lives. Over the years, we have supported each other through personal tragedies and triumphs. We have given each other advice about everything from health issues and aging parents, to good books and where to buy com-

Ladies, do you remember

your high school slumber parties? Mine involved wall-to-wall sleeping bags with giggling girls who stayed up all night talking about their hopes, dreams, worries and fears. We always had lots of food and even more laughs. Well, slumber parties aren’t just for teenagers anymore. My high school girlfriends have been getting together for one weekend over the last 10 years, and the parties look a lot like the ones we had over 45 years ago. Terri Bawden (on the far right) with her girl posse — being silly is fine. It all started in 2003 when three of us decided to get aged ladies laughing hysterically giggling and reminiscing about together to reminisce about our throughout the meal, not to the many slumber parties from $5-a-day trip to Europe in 1970. mention the Karaoke later. our past and remarked at how }}} Continued on next page Once we set a date and agreed That night we stayed up late little we had changed —other to meet in our hometown of Omak, we started thinking about other friends in the area who might want to join us. The Tuesdays at Noon response was so enthusiastic In the Miller Street that we soon had 12 girlfriends Conference Room across the state who decided to 1000 North Miller Street come. Wenatchee, WA 98801 Thus began a 10-year tradition that happens every September at For more information and a cabin in Conconully, about 20 to view archived videos on miles outside of Omak. the DOC Talks please visit: Our first year we spent some wvmedical.com/doctalks Upcoming Community Talks by the Providers of Confluence Health time just catching up. Most of us had not seen each other in many years. We sat in a circle and each March 18th April 15th May 20th of us shared the high and low Advanced Planning Hand Conditions Geriatrics points of our lives. There were a with Ginny Heinitz, RN with Eric Thorson, MD with Mary Timiras, MD lot of tears, both from laughter March 25th April 29th May 27th and loss. Preservation of Spine Care Ear Infections in Kids Someone brought old annuals function in aging with Steven Fowler, MD with Elizabeth Dunham, MD and we thumbed through them with Chris Hogness, MD asking “Whatever happened to…?” Then we all piled into a couple of cars and headed for the local pub. Of course, we had to have the obligatory Chinese Fire Drill An affiliation between along the way. Central Washington Hospital & Wenatchee Valley Medical Center I’m sure our waitresses wondered about the silly middle-

Doc

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talks

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Slumber parties }}} Continued from previous page fortable, yet stylish, shoes. We never talk about religion or politics, as I’m sure we have far-ranging views on these issues. We often have a theme or major activity. One year we all dressed up in clothes that our mothers would have worn back when we were in high school. Another time we all

wore ’60s style wigs to the local pub. A few years back, someone found a dozen Omak Pioneer softball jerseys at a surplus sale, so now we don them when we walk into town or go to the local winery. We also do a gift exchange the second evening in order to celebrate our birthdays all at once. Last year we had a “Social Security” cake for dessert since we will all be turning 65 this year. I don’t know how much longer we will be able to continue this tradition (or how much longer

... my girlfriends were an important part of my life in high school, and perhaps they are even more important now... we can climb the ladder into the loft at the cabin). But I do know that my girlfriends were an important part of my life in high school, and

Coming up Adventures in Kenya, Tuesday, March 4, 7 p.m. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Intro to beekeeping, Tuesday, March 18, 7 p.m. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Local’s Night Wine Tasting, Thursday, March 20, 5-8 p.m. Try a variety of wines from Wenatchee Wine Country wineries and sample food from several of the Pybus Market businesses.

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perhaps they are even more important now as we continue to share our hopes and dreams, worries and fears. Our shared history adds more meaning and empathy to our major milestones. And I know that no matter what my future holds, I will be surrounded with their support and love. Terri Bawden lived in Wenatchee for 36 years before moving to Anacortes in 2011 after retiring from the Wenatchee School District. She and her husband, Dave, enjoy sailing and traveling.

Women riders of the Pasayten

Above Corral Lake — Donna Hubbert, Montana, on Scramble, followed by Joani Flanagan, Flagstaff, Sherry Krebs, Wenatchee, and Lee Holmer, Seattle, reach the ridge above Corral Lake. It is steeper than it looks. Photo by Betsy Metcalf

These women haven’t quit the challenging outdoors, just changed their mode of transportation By Katherine March

e fortunate people of Central Washington are blessed with recreational opportunities in the mighty Cascades — hiking, camping, skiing, snowshoeing, wildlife watching, mountain biking and other modes of recreation that offer a new experience no matter how often we visit. But then we reach a point when time is no longer our best friend — those hip and knee replacements, wear and tear from

skiing and backpacking and other thrills, a hard-to-admit diminished strength and stamina, and an increasing appreciation of comforts, discourage us from visiting those special places we love, or even ones that are on our bucket lists. Some of us women from Central Washington, as well as some who have lived or visited in the past, have not had to look far to overcome what might be thought as a limitation. We are going into our fifth August of riding horses into the Pasayten Wilderness for five days with a backcountry outfitter. Depending on who you talk to, and to who is listening, we have been called dudes, guests, wild women of Wenatchee and kickbutt women. March 2014 | The Good Life

Every year we call our ride “the trip of a lifetime.” The horses are world-class mountain horses, bred by Judy and Aaron Lee Burkhart of Early Winters Outfitting. Eight to 10 of us head out with a cook (really a chef), two wranglers, and a string of mules packing our gear, food and the cook tent we have learned to love. The staff always includes members of Horse Crazy Cowgirl Band, a nationally awarded western music trio. Our destination is The Pasayten Wilderness, which was designated a Wilderness Area by Congress in 1968. It is 530,000 acres carefully managed by the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Yes, it belongs to us. Permits are issued to a limited www.ncwgoodlife.com

number of groups our size, with special attention to balancing recreation with the ecosystem. It’s never too early to get ready to go again. In December our group began the emails about the next trip, and as spring comes to Wenatchee we know we will see spring again in August, during that narrow window between last winter and next winter in the high country. We don’t carry our own gear anymore, but the group of strong personalities includes all competent riders with other lives as musicians, artists, teachers, nurses, massage therapist, physical therapist, college professor, army colonel, optician, software developer and wildlife biologist — either retired or

}}} Continued on next page

Women riders of the Pasayten }}} Continued from previous page soon to be. All of us share a small space for five days, and never has there been a discouraging word, except maybe once when I said, “Aren’t those topo lines awfully close together?” We crossed those topo lines on a wellworth-it climb to Tatoosh Ridge. There is something about communing with the music, horses, mountains, flora and fauna that puts us at our best, and that stays with us long after we leave the wilderness. From the beginning of the trip the trails always head uphill. A creek, maybe a river, soon flows between where we are and where we are going to be. On the first trip when we faced the Pasayten River, some of us considered suggesting we camp right there. Without hesitation the horses demonstrated they could cross the rushing water, stepping through boulders as big as their heads, giving us a serious adrenalin rush that added to our exhilaration as we reached the other side. We are all reminded that we signed up for a ride in the mountains as we sit there amazed on these horses that carry us on trails that drop off to nothing but air, or are so steep that without our mounts we would have to crawl up, and other I-can’t-believe-I’m-doingthis experiences. Soon we are singing and laughing, as the trees get smaller and the sky gets closer. Somewhere near us are always the wranglers with a string of mules carrying our gear, food, cook tent and Lauralee Northcott’s Martin trail guitar. Things may not always go as planned whether you travel by plane, train, car, or equine.

Brown bagging at Tatoosh Ridge — Betsy Metcalf photographs while Lauralee Northcott, middle, and Gay Northrup gaze out at the view from Tatoosh Ridge.

Once, through no fault of their own, the mules were directed to drop our gear at the wrong camp. After 20 miles and all day in the saddle, at dusk we arrived at our destination, Remmel Lake, to find no food, no sleeping bags, no tents and no mule tracks. Part of that adventure included a rare find: a large, empty tent set up not far from camp, which was also a stone’s throw from The Boundary Trail that parallels the U.S.-Canada border. We piled into the Border Patrol tent and kept each other warm amidst the layer of pack rat poop, waiting for our sleeping bags to show up at 2 a.m. Later we admitted (to each other) that we had broken and entered a Federal facility. The steaks that chef/trail boss/ musician Lauralee Northcott had planned for dinner made it to breakfast. The timing was a bit off, but we don’t wear watches in the wilderness anyway. Emails and cell phones do not interrupt our wilderness experience, except when there is the rare opportunity to hit a cell

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Joani Flanagan and Katherine March get ready to head out for a ride, sporting chinks made locally.

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Get creative. We’ll show you how!

...it’s not a good sign when the outfitter and the mules are covered with water. His first words were: “I just want you to know the guitar is OK.” tower up high. Jennifer Epps, retired software developer, once sorority girl, now musician and wrangler, was pretty excited about finding cell service on the hill above Cathedral Lake at about 8,000 feet. She called home saying, “Guess where I am?” As she had a nice, long chat her smart phone thought it was in Canada. The bill for international service was probably not worth the deviation from the wilderness experience. Accidents happen to the best of us. Aaron Lee Burkhart, the outfitter, was leading a string of mules towards camp when one slipped in a stream. The mules are carrying carefully balanced packs, some resembling kitchen cabinets, because they are. One of the mule’s buddies was pulled down, and Aaron got soaked getting all of them on their feet and settled. This was not a laughable event. He was late getting into camp, and it’s not a good sign when the outfitter and the mules are covered with water. His first words were: “I just want you to know the guitar is OK.” Lauralee is always the first one out of her tent in the morning, and we have the best camp coffee around ready when we get out of the sacks, but of course there is no other coffee within many miles, so she would get away with feeding us mud. We hang out in the cook tent staying warm while Horse Crazy sings for us. Jennifer, Lauralee and Kristyn Harris sing while

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Metalsmithing with Tyler Russell Learn the basics of soldering, hammering and finishing silver, gold fill and other metals. Apply your new skills to make rings and bangle bracelets, then take home your finished products for yourself or as gift to someone that matters.

Horse Crazy Cowgirl Band Jennifer Epps, left, and Lauralee Northcott, middle, sing with Kristyn Harris in front of the cook tent.

Lauralee makes a great breakfast, and it’s not because it’s part of the trip, but because they love it as much as we dudes do. The music starts again when we return from a ride, and it lasts until we have all wandered off to our tents. Once the permanent camp is established we head out for day rides, always higher into the mountains. Lauralee stayed in camp one day, and proudly showed us the shower she had set up while we rode. One person, Gay Northrup, showed the gratitude to use it. The rest of us could not see any use for it. Gay is also the one who plunged into the water at Cathedral Lake shortly after we crossed some snow. Rita Baugh was happy enough to bathe in two inches of water in the Pasayten River at Miners Camp, and about a foot of water at Corral Lake. Lauralee’s once secret peat bog/bathtub near Remmel Lake is now well known. We all agree that one of the mysteries of the wilderness is: What is it that keeps us so clean? A horse lost a shoe early in a 20-mile trip back to civilization once. That meant somebody had to walk. March 2014 | The Good Life

Suzanne Metcalf ’s horse had the flat tire, and fit and tough as she is, Suzanne did not warm up to the adventure of running 20 miles down a rocky trail, so we took turns running on our own two feet ahead of the group on horses (the horses walk as fast as we run). When the two-footed member of the string was tired she would jump on a horse and the rider was then tagged to lead the group on foot. Joani Flanagan, who runs or bikes daily, disappeared ahead of us so quickly that we were certain a bear or cougar had nabbed her. You’re not supposed to run from predators. The musical horse routine went on to the end of 20 miles. That’s right, we endure horse flat tires, hauling and filtering water, sleeping on the ground with a tent mate that takes her half out of the middle and wakes the entire camp laughing hysterically, and live without cells, emails, credit cards and almost no showers. Why do we do this? Because it is there, and we can and we love it. Katherine March, a wildlife biologist, lives with her husband, two dogs and three horses near Wenatchee.

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A hen does pest control in the garden.

Digging in for another season in a

GARDENER’S UTOPIA By Lance Stegemann

With the month of March

approaching fast, it’s hard not to start thinking about another season of fresh vegetables from our small backyard garden. Growing up, we always had plenty of fresh produce to enjoy for a good part of the summer and early fall. Even with the temperamental weather of Northern Idaho and a considerably short growing season, there was a bounty to be had with a little sweat equity and some home-grown ingenuity. A greenhouse or cold frame could usually extend the amount of time required for plants and fruit to reach maturity, but even so, it took a tremendous amount of work. Since I came to the Wenatchee Valley about five years ago, I’ve come to the realization that this is literally a gardener’s paradise. Whatever struggles may have plagued me in the past, Wenatchee has given me a renewed sense of enthusiasm. It’s been my observation that

Luscious tomato ripens on the vine.

Lance eagerly plants seeds in starter pots in his garden shed.

the one key ingredient for success, and what I had always been missing in previous locations, was the scorching heat of summer that is ever present here in Wenatchee. Add a little fertilizer and organic matter to some turned-up top soil, place down some weed block, install a good drip irrigation system, grab the lawn chair and watch the rewards of some meager efforts produce more delectable vegetables than one can possibly consume. Ok … so it’s not quite that easy, but once those first plants

emerge from the warm nutrient rich soil, they appear to almost double in size overnight. Although, I’m considered a relative newbie to this area, I can’t help but notice the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables during the growing season. What my wife, a fourth generation native here, takes for granted, I see as nothing short of miraculous. I had always heard that Wenatchee was pretty well known for producing some high quality apples, but from the perspective of a cold climate

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transplant, this place is literally a gardener’s Utopia. Even though it’s still pretty early in the season, I’ve already started lining up the seed boxes. It’s been a relatively mild winter this year and it’s hard not to want to get things moving along. With the lack of snow, I’ve already begun the process of cleaning out our compost bins and adding some more mulch to the raised garden beds. We also have a few chickens in the backyard, which not only provide us with fresh eggs, but

also help with fertilization and pest control in the garden. I spent a month researching various poultry houses and finally settled on what’s known as a chicken tractor. Basically it’s just a fancy name for a portable coup with wheels that can be moved around the yard. It took me awhile to design and build it, but in the end, I was quite satisfied. Even my wife looked a bit impressed when I wheeled it out of the garage after weeks of construction noise and tormenting our poor neighbors.

The chickens have been a great addition to our little garden plot in the backyard and not a whole lot ever goes to waste with a few resourceful birds around. Chickens are also quite entertaining, and if you’ve never had the chance to observe one as it holds possession over a prized insect while trying to keep it away from the others, such antics can be cleverly humorous. Gardening is one of those endeavors that can quickly turn into obsession. There’s nothing quite as rewarding as when you see the fruits of your labor proliferate into abundant excess. It must stem from some long ago primordial instinct to have a hand in producing one’s own food source. I guess we all have a little hunter-gatherer instinct in us somewhere. After all, you can’t survive long without such basic needs as food; even if that might just come in the form of driving down to the local grocery store or food mart. Some of us just like to be a little closer to the source, but hey, I’m not any sort of food snob. I do like the availability of a variety of foods and know it would be impractical to try to grow everything. I guess I just like the process of being able to contribute something to our table fare that I actually took part in. So as things begin to thaw out, the birds return to start making their nests in the arborvitae, and days grow longer, I methodically start organizing the garden tools, rotating the compost piles, tuning up the roto-tiller, and just about everything else the weather will allow in anticipation of those first seed starts to meet that incredibly prolific soil. That being said, I won’t be found lounging on the living room couch waiting for the official date of spring to arrive, but instead, will be spending my time out in the garden shed adjusting the grow light, repairing a split shovel handle, or mendMarch 2014 | The Good Life

Lance’s chicken tractor: Roomy for hens, light enough to move around.

Building a coop on wheels for hard-working chickens I also made the entire structure When I first started reso that I could easily assemble searching various chicken tractors, the main thought I had was to build something that was both functional and aesthetically pleasing to look at. A chicken tractor is handy because it’s mobile and allows you to move it to various locations so that the chickens can forage on new vegetation. It is also much easier to keep their yard clean. I wanted something that would be easy to clean, light enough to move around, easy to collect eggs, and not be an eye sore in the back yard. What I came up with even surprised me. I looked at several designs on the Internet and roughed out some plans on a sheet of paper. I added vented windows, several clean-out doors, an attachable ramp, and an automatic feeder and water dish.

ing broken drip lines, because once again, that warmer weather is upon us and maybe this time it’s finally here to stay. www.ncwgoodlife.com

and disassemble it since I still had to get it from the garage to the back yard. My wife nicknamed it the Spruce Goose after the Howard Hughes plane. I was hoping it would be more successful. The chickens were quite content with the final product and had no trouble figuring out where to lay eggs. I let them out of the covered yard when the garden isn’t producing and the weather is good. We keep four hens — which is legal in the Wenatchee city limits — and no rooster for obvious reasons. Oh and I painted it red because my wife thought it should be painted in a traditional barn color. The red roof was my contribution. — by Lance Stegemann

Lance Stegemann lives in East Wenatchee with his wife Barbara. They both enjoy living in the Wenatchee Valley where the mild climate allows them to enjoy a variety of hobbies.

riding a steam train

Rising up early in the morn to hear the old whistle blow story and photos By Chuck Strawn

The clear morning air defied the reality

of the 7,800-foot elevation. Coal smoke and steam whistles played with our senses. We are in Chama, New Mexico for a 64mile ride on a century-old chartered steam train. Our train consists of three narrow gauge Mikado type steam engines built in 1901 and 1902, 25 freight cars circa 1925 and three cabooses. Two of the cabooses are modern reproductions of the one 1920s-era caboose tacked on the back of the train. Twenty-five people have come from all over the United States to ride this train over the 10,000-foot Cumbres Pass in northern New Mexico and a few miles into the southern Colorado Mountains. A series of three whistle blasts from each locomotive indicates this adventure is about

Locomotive #489, the first of the three steam engines, labors to start the train after a photo run by.

to begin. We are riding on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad portion of the famous Denver and Rio Grande narrow gauge railroad. The railroad was built in the late 1870s to tap the rich mining country of the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and New Mexico. A second portion of this line exists as the Durango and Silverton Railroad in southwest Colorado. In 1970 the states of Colorado and New Mexico purchased this line from the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, which was pulling up all narrow gauge freight lines. The railroad was purchased to preserve the authentic nature of narrow gauge steam railroading in these mountains. The purchase included eight coal burning

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steam locomotives, many freight cars and pieces of maintenance equipment as well as cabooses and coaches. Also included were the shop and yards in Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado, the terminuses of the line. Barely 10 minutes into our climb up the mountains to Cumbres Pass, the train stops, the 25 of us get off the train and form a line atop a small hill to watch the train back down the line. In railfan terms this is known as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;photo line.â&#x20AC;? When the train has backed out of sight behind some trees, we hear a series of three whistle blasts and see three columns of black smoke rise above the now dormant aspens

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The ride begins for Chuck Strawn in the copola of a caboose.

and pines. Locomotive #489 is the first to emerge from behind the thicket, followed by a newly restored pile driver. Then came locomotive #488 coupled behind the pile driver followed by 20 freight cars, steam locomotive #487 and our three cabooses. The sky is now dark with the black smoke, overdone for the photographers’ delight. As the train approaches, video footage mounts up, digital cameras record the event at the rate of six frames per second and my traveling companions, Jim Tiffany of Wenatchee and Bill Perry of Sunriver, Ore., and I marvel at the sight unfolding before us. Our 10-hour trip was filled with eight of these photo run bys and one unscheduled incident. After the second run by, which consisted of several photo opportunities, we all were enjoying the beautiful sounds of the steam locomotives, the unusually warm fall air and the open window view from the cupola of the middle caboose. As we slowly climbed a steeper part of the trip our reverie was broken by a sudden and very jarring bump, bump, bump of our caboose. As we were lightly thrown around our cupola confines we were, in railroad language, “on the ground.” In other words, the caboose

had “jumped the tracks” or derailed, with the lead wheels firmly on the ground. On the old steam engines, as well as modern diesel locomotives, a standard piece of emergency equipment is a “re-rail frog.” This is a heavy triangular cast iron piece that fits over the rail. Flanges on the side of the “frog” guide the wheels back onto the track as the car moves forward. What seemed like a very light chain was taken from a load on a forward flat car. The chain was placed between the two cars and the caboose was coaxed back on the rail, thanks to the frog. After an hour of pulling and pushing with primitive equipment, we were finally on our

A re-rail frog is placed on each rail ahead of the caboose. As the car moves forward the wheels are guided back on to the track.

way. The remainder of the trip was relatively uneventful in relation to the derailment. The run bys were at tall trestles, sweeping meadows and hairpin curves. At the spaghetti feed after the trip with the coal-smokeblackened crew, the main topic was the caboose derailment and the amazing sight of those three steam locomotives pulling all this antique equipment up a sometimes four to five percent grade. At the top of Cumbres Pass our train was split up. The lead locomotive and pile driver continued on to Antonito at the Colorado end of the line for winter storage. Locomotive

The daily local between Los Angeles and San Bernardino — photographed by Chuck Strawn in the 1950s. March 2014 | The Good Life

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#488, coupled behind the pile driver, went back to Chama and winter maintenance. Locomotive #487 was moved to the front of the train to take another seven miles to Osier to be turned on a balloon track for the return trip. There is something about trains that gets into your system and never quite leaves you. My railroad interests started in 1942 with the Atcheson Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in my hometown just outside Los Angeles. My father owned a nursery and garden supply store adjacent to the main line of the railroad. I thrilled to the big black steam monsters as they came charging through our town on their journey to parts unknown. I watched with great sadness as my beloved steam engines gave way to the modern beat of the two–cycle diesel locomotives. This trip on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic railroad in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico, along with the steam trains in Wenatchee for the Centennial Special Olympics, keep my passion for these old trains very much alive. Chuck Strawn is a 46-year resident of Wenatchee and owner/designer of Chuck Strawn Landscape Design.

updates

I adore the warmth of El Salvador and operating a hospitality business here is good, too By D’Arcy Burke

y husband, Shawn, and I have always enjoyed offering people hospitality — it comes naturally and we enjoy opening our home and love the fruits of social interaction. One evening a few years ago, hospitality changed our lives — during a dinner party at our Wenatchee home, a guest said, “I’m only back to the United States to sell everything I own, I’m moving to El Salvador.” Intrigued by this, I researched Central America. The more I learned, the more captivated I became. My husband and I had always wanted a beachfront home and this was an affordable possibility to make our dream come true. We considered ourselves adventuresome and booked our flights, but soon afterwards fear set in. Suddenly everyone, solicited or not, had a negative comment. “Don’t drink the poisonous water,” one said, “There is civil unrest,” said a number of misinformed friends and family, but the worst statement of all: “I hope you don’t come back in a body bag,” rang in my ears for

D’Arcy Burke skims the waves at Sunzal, a west coast beach in El Salvador, which is renown for its surfing. INSET: D’Arcy’s first story from November 2008 about discovering El Salvador.

some time. But thankfully not loud enough to prevent me from going. Instead of finding harsh conditions, we found a thriving peaceful culture of hard working conscientious people who enjoy the simple pleasures of life. They are very relationship-oriented and honor family and friends. The capital city of San Salvador is 40 minutes from the coast. It’s modern, innovative and clean with the largest International Airport in Central America, good highway infra-

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structure, advanced medical skills and European-trained doctors. The nation has a sustainable agriculture base as the largest producer of sugar and coffee and the textile industry is on the rise, surpassing China. El Salvador’s middle class is growing and they have access to such things as Price Smart — a subsidiary of Costco — Ruth’s Chris Steak House, metropolitan malls and Maserati car dealerships. Plus, El Salvador uses U.S. currency so there is no money exchange problems. As I reported in The Good Life article in 2008, we fell in love with the people first, and then the place. We purchased beachfront property on our maiden voyage, built our home, which later became our Premier Dulce Villa, Bed Breakfast &

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| March 2014

Spa. We love what we do and when a great opportunity came along to purchase another beach house four doors down from our B&B on the same private beach, we bought it, renovated the house and casita and turned it into a fully furnished rental house. Later, one of our repeat guests told us how much they enjoyed seeing what we are doing and wanted to be a part of it. We helped him find, renovate and decorate another home which we run and operate. Over time, we went on to build and oversee six rental beach houses, ranging from adorable casitas to larger homes that accommodate families, groups and special events. Quite accidentally, we seemed to have found ourselves a niche. When we first began to travel to El Salvador, it was difficult to find American standard accom-

Now entertaining has afforded us a comfortable living. modations with AC, hot running water, wi-fi, pillow-top mattresses, security vaults for valuables or well appointed decorations, furnishings and all of the creature comforts we Americans have come to expect. After we pioneered a pathway to El Salvador, we had many friends and some family members come for visits; we took to hospitality because we enjoy sharing the culture, climate and cuisine of this “Jewel of Central America.” As our guest list grew, so did our business. Before long, we knew more places to go, see and do than even the native citizens. Now entertaining has afforded us a comfortable living. By listening to what our friends and guests wanted, we began to do coffee plantation tastings tours, scenic volcano tours, waterfalls, zip lines and, of course, surfing lessons. El Salvador is one of the top 10 places in the world to surf. We also do educational tours such as turtle releases and wildlife estuary tours. In the past few years, we have expanded our services to include private drivers for airport shuttle service and or sight seeing and a private chef for guests

who are staying at one of our other properties. We are fortunate to be able to stay in El Salvador for five to six months out of the year. We come during the winter months when my husband’s Patio Pool business closes for the season. The weather in El Salvador is a predictable balmy 85 degrees year round, which keeps our rental business busy year round. We have a trained and qualified staff who assists us whether we are in El Salvador or in the United States. Technology and communications allows me to correspond daily with my property manager even when I’m in Wenatchee. Presently, we are working on another project that will enable guests to lease beach property for longer periods, making it feel more like their own place verses renting, which is generally only for a week or two. This will give people a chance to experiment living in another country without investing a lot of money. Oftentimes guests solicit our help to find them property, so we see it as a new business opportunity. Hospitality has become my life’s work. To say that I adore El Salvador seems an inadequate expression: I embrace these people, this culture, the climate, cuisine and their Spanish language and have made it my own. I love doing business here. To learn more about Dulce Villa, visit www.dulcevilla.com.

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Celebrate our local wineries at

WENATCHEE WINE WEEK

March 17-22

Wenatchee Wine Week is a celebration of wines produced in our own back yard! Give our Wenatchee Wine Country wines a try at these tasting events!

Schedule Monday March 17

- Horan Go Braugh: 3-7 pm, Horan Estates Winery and - Badger Mtn. Brewery. Celebrating Ireland Horan Style!

Tuesday March 18

- Red Blend Tasting at the Lovely Grape in Quincy, 4 pm

Wednesday March 19

- Sensational Syrah Night at Tastebuds, 5-7 pm

Thursday March 20

- Local's Night at the Pybus Market, 5-8 pm

Friday March 21

12 months for $25 in Washington, $30 out of state

- Malbec Tasting at Lulu's; Crayelle Cellars winemaker dinner - at Smokeblossom, 6 pm

______________________________

Saturday March 22

Name

______________________________ Address

______________________________ City / State / Zip

The Good Life 10 First Street, Suite 108, Wenatchee, WA 98801 March 2014 | The Good Life

- March Madness and Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting at Stick's - House of Cigars, 3-7 pm

For more information go to

www.wenatcheewines.com or call (509) 669-5808

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One year, six trips…

what a way to experience turning 80 By Susan Campbell Shell

he year started with bonfires and fireworks in Reykjavik, Iceland. And why not? This was the year of my 80th birthday, and I decided rather than try to celebrate with a family gathering — difficult by the fact we are scattered about the country — I would travel to scattered places in the world. As the youngest child in the family, I grew up hearing stories and receiving postcards of my brothers’ and sister’s travels as well as my father’s stories of living in the West as a young man. I did not have a bucket list of places to see, but rather let my interest be piqued by information that came my way — an article in a magazine or newspaper, a travel brochure, some place my husband and I had thought of going, recommendations from fellow travelers, or an email search. For example, our book club had read a book that took place in Japan. That experience stirred my curiosity to find the Samurai Tours “Winter Wonderland Tour” on the web.

Susan Campbell Shell found the sleddogs in Alaska friendly and full of boundless energy.

By the end of 2013, I had taken six trips — often as part of a tour, but once on my own. Tours vary in size. Iceland was a big bus tour. These may have 35, or more, people. They are my least favorite. A large group of people has to follow a schedule to be manageable. Unfortunately, one isn’t always interested in what is on

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the schedule, especially gift shops. On the plus side there are probably places that would not be accessible to a single person. A river cruise is more like a big bus tour with a variety of shore excursions. On a trip down the Mississippi, I visited three types of mansions: the “Gone With the Wind,” the Creole, and an unusual octagonal one.

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Bicycle trips operate a bit differently. There were 12 people on the Great Lakes tour and 10 in Scotland. You have a daily briefing about the day’s ride. There is a printed copy of the route, historical notes and points of interest. You start when you want to, stop to see something that interests you, or to have a cup of coffee, and generally are

I think I set some new personal record for traveling on a bicycle in the rain or on foggy days. expected to arrive at that day’s destination by 4 p.m. Japan was a scheduled tour and there were eight of us. Every tour always has a break when you can do some exploring on your own. I was the only one on the mushing tour in Alaska. This was a very different experience and the guides and I determined each day what we were going to do. The first day’s plan got shortened a bit with the minus 40 degree weather. The next day was zero degrees and was tolerable with all our layers of clothes. Language is not really a problem as English is the international language. Scotland was the one country where it was sometimes difficult to understand. “Did you go by yourself?,” is a question I am frequently asked. The answer is “Yes” and “No.” Alaska was the exception but all of the others were group trips. Since my husband’s death, I have never found anyone with the time, interest, or physical fitness necessary for these trips. Traveling is not that complicated, especially with all the information available on the Internet. You do have to be adaptable. I surely could have used a few more sunny days. I think I

set some new personal record for traveling on a bicycle in the rain or on foggy days. Photographs are rather missing from my travels. I had quit taking photographs when my husband and I traveled. The cameras were bulkier and heavier in those days, and it was one more thing to carry. I guess we weren’t interested in taking photos of each other as we agreed that postcards were superior to any we could take. But I succumbed to the portability, and ease of operation, of the digital camera. I took the camera to Iceland. One of my favorites got taken there with the Icelandic horses. The other two are best forgotten and then I accidently dropped the camera on the concrete floor of a gift shop. There are no more photos from Iceland. A new camera went with me to Japan. My fellow travelers took many photos there, including those at the Kushiro Crane Center on my birthday. The group surprised me with a gift of a wood carving of two cranes. Cycling the Great Lakes produced a fair number of shots. I’m usually wearing the same shirt because it was a sunny day on Mackinac Island. Unfortunately, the camera got left in my bike bag in rainy Scotland. The

March 2014 | The Good Life

Wild world traveler For the year of her 80th birthday, Susan Campbell Shell gave herself the gift of travel. Here was her itinerary: n Dec. 28, 2012 - Jan. 2013. Iceland n Feb. 2 - Feb. 17, 2013. Japan n June 15 - June 25, 2013. Great Lakes, Michigan n Aug. 24, 2013 - Sept. 4, 2013. Scotland’s Highlands n Sept. 4, 2013 - Sept. 7. Anstruther, Scotland n Nov. 22. - Nov.30, 2013. American Queen, Mississippi River n Dec. 26 - Dec. 31, 2013. Denali dogsledding, Healy, Alaska highlands will only be seen in memory. I did take pictures of my niece and her family at their new home in Scotland. They met me in Edinburgh after the tour. I enjoyed visiting with them in a different part of Scotland. They are professors at St. Andrews University. Two pictures were taken on the riverboat, the American Queen but somehow I am standing in the shadow so it could be anybody. That’s all for that trip as the batteries died. There were two problems with my photos taken in Alaska. The first was that the photographer was too far away, but there are

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nice pictures of the dogs. The second problem was lack of light. It is not very bright up there this time of year and the photos are dark or have a bluish tone. Food — good, poor, or tolerable — is a significant factor when traveling. My number one favorite was the smoked salmon of Iceland. It was always served on the breakfast buffet and I ate it every day. My favorite dinner was the Shojin-ryon, a Buddhist vegetarian one, served at the temple in the mountains of Japan. There were many tiny dishes, with perhaps only a couple tablespoons of food and bowls of rice. It was great fun to try everything. My favorite was the big, sweet black beans. I think they were some type of soy beans. I wouldn’t want to be the dishwasher. A tall Australian man in our group, and I, were the only two who could not sit on the floor to eat. The monks brought us little chairs and tables. That was a pleasant surprise. The two of us were also the only ones who carried forks with us because we couldn’t manage chopsticks. The Japanese cook with either charcoal grill or a gas one with a pot of hot liquid. The waiters bring a big tray with thinly sliced meat and vegetables. Each person picks up, with his chopsticks, what he wants and cooks it. Chopstick etiquette is that you pick the raw food with one

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6 trips, one year, what a birthday! }}} Continued from previous page

end of the chopsticks and place it on the grill or into the pot. The food is removed with the same end and transferred to your plate. Use the other end of the chopsticks to put the food into your mouth. Dinner at an Indian restaurant, with my niece and her family, in the small fishing village of Anstruther,, Scotland, was a pleasant surprise. It Susan stops at the Point Iroquois Lighthouse, Lake Superior, during her bike tour. was a vegetarian meal with unique seasoning, and served us in Scotland. This was a van room has a private bath almost with wonderful naan bread. that carried our luggage and everywhere. The most unusual Sticky Toffee Pudding was provided assistance to a needy were the family-run ryokans in touted as a great dessert in Scot- cyclist. Japan. The rooms had tatami land. This is one of those dishes The American Queen is a floors, a square table about a where each cook probably has steamboat on the Mississippi foot high, and a legless chair her own version. I didn’t care for River. We docked each day and that fit underneath. There may the one I tried. buses took us to on shore excur- also be some big cushions. There is a variety of modes of sions. We walked from the boat Folded bedding and kimono transportation according to the and up over the levee to the were in big wall cupboards. The trip. street. Trains were frequently bathroom had a deep square tub Big bus and bicycle are selfused in Japan and we each had with a hand-held shower. The explanatory. There were two a rail pass. We also used planes communal baths, which were types of bicycle tours. The Great and buses plus walking. segregated, also have the shower Lake tour was self-contained. A room for the night varied ac- facility as you bathe before getWe stayed at motels, and ate cording to the trip. ting into the bath. in restaurants, but carried all It was surprising to see all An electric hot water pot was our possessions in saddle and wood floors in the hotel in Icealways in your room in Japan handlebar bags. land, a country with few trees. and Scotland. Starbuck’s VIA A support wagon accompanied These days, you find your instant coffee always goes with

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me. Hot chocolate mix and whole milk, in the little containers, were available in Scotland along with the coffee and tea. My room on the American Queen was on the balcony side but there wasn’t much to see. It was usually foggy, or raining, and the Mississippi River is not a picturesque one. In Alaska, at the Denali Dome Home B&B, my oddly shaped room, with a hand-made quilt on the bed, was warm and relaxing after a day spent out-of-doors and there was always a fire in the big fireplace in the great room. The island, in the kitchen, was unusual in that the cutting board top was wood recycled from a bowling alley. The dog teams pulled us, and the sleds with our gear, to a log cabin. One guide started a fire in the stove, lit the lanterns, and melted snow for water. The dogs were tied out for the night, fed and watered by the second guide. Dinner was cooked on the gas stove. I found it interesting to have a bottled gas stove in an otherwise primitive cabin. We were warm, fed, and enjoyed each other’s company. The Japanese ryokan and the Alaskan B&B had one thing in common. You took off your shoes in the entry. Alaska has snow, or mud, much of the year. There were always sandals available to put on in Japan. In Alaska we just walked around in our socks. At the cabin we used the felt liners from our boots as slippers. Animals are always an attraction for me. The small Icelandic horse has a tough constitution as it stays outside year-round. It is a friendly breed that comes up to the fence when the bus stopped. They like to be petted

There was a camel at the house across the road. What was the story there? and will push each other out of the way to get attention. There are stables that will take you riding but it was a bit too cold and windy to try it. We were riding a back road in Michigan when the girl in front of me stopped and took out her camera. There was a camel at the house across the road. What was the story there? Motorized vehicles are not allowed on Mackinac Island in Lake Huron. We fit in with our bicycles. The hills were challenging but the loop around the island was relaxing. Riding horses, cart horses and draft horses clopped along the street amid the bicycles. At the Winter Festival in Sapporo, Japan, there were a couple of little dogs, one was a miniature Schnauzer, and the other was the same size, dressed in two-piece sweat suits and booties. On the other end of the size spectrum was a pair of Great Pyrenees. We hiked about a mile up a slippery, packed snow trail to see the snow monkeys at Joshinetsu Kogen National Park. They are adorable with thick, light brown fur. A toy version could easily substitute for a teddy bear. They ignored the visitors and scampered over the trail, up and down the hills, and sometimes sat in the stream. Two Scottish terriers, one black and one white (or is it a Wheaten terrier?), looked down at me from a bank above the road I was riding in Scotland. There were black-faced sheep on the hills and highland cattle in pastures. We heard a lot of birds in the

Louisiana bayou. Only two alligators were seen — but as it was cold they stay down in the silt. Moose tracks were visible along with smaller ones in Alaska but no animals appeared. The sled dogs are a fantastic group of athletes. They are a lean, medium size, friendly dog with boundless energy. They do like attention and you cannot pet just one. “Hike” is the signal to go but it didn’t seem necessary. As they are hitched to the tug line they are barking, jumping and fidgeting, ready to go. They take off at full speed with their legs in rhythm. The barking stops when they start running. The dogs enjoy their work and I enjoyed being with them. My brain has many new memories. The Hallgrimskirkja church is the beautiful, and impressive, landmark in Reykjavik. The fullsize sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival were also impressive. A geisha performed for us our last evening in Japan and then answered our questions about her life. She has a different silk kimono for each month and her elaborate hair-do is a wig. The profession is changing and she is independent, travels and has her own apartment. It was a delight to find “Yesterday’s Children,” a little doll museum in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Every square inch held a collection of antique French and German dolls up to the modern American Girl. Across the street was the Coca Cola Museum where I bought a miniature bottle for our Coca Cola Santa Claus to hold. My most memorable experience was standing on the back of a dogsled. My “Experience 80!” year ended when I left Fairbanks on Dec.31, 2013.

savor the setting… Savor a delicious selection of café delights, amid a truly inspiring setting. O’Grady’s Pantry at Sleeping Lady Resort offers both breakfast and lunch. Relax with friends while enjoying a warm meal, coffee or hot chocolate. SleepingLady.com | 509.548.6344

Susan Campbell Shell moved to Cashmere from New York’s Adirondack Mountain region after retiring. She is a cyclist and quilter.

March 2014 | The Good Life

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Solar power lights up more homes ‘...it’s a much better investment than bank CDs’ photos and story By Susan Gillin

Does solar make sense in a county

known for its clean, abundant hydropower and some of the lowest electric rates in the nation? You bet it does, as proven by 60 active sites producing solar power under Chelan County PUD’s Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP) program. You, too, can generate solar, wind or other renewable energy at your home, business or agency for the SNAP program. Participation is open to Chelan PUD customers with systems generating 25 kilowatts or less. Most customers tie their generation directly to the PUD’s electrical grid, although some customers prefer to be net-metered, meaning they may put the power produced by their systems to their own use. SNAP producers are paid once a year from a pool of funds created by customer contributions. A second source of funding for SNAP producers is the state’s renewable incentive program. The state program allows the PUD to pay each solar and wind power producer in the county up to $5,000 per year. The amount of the production incentive depends on the amount of solar and wind energy produced, and whether the equipment that produced the energy was manufactured in Washington. Get started by visiting the PUD’s website, chelanpud.org. (Click on “SNAP” then “Become a SNAP Producer.”) If you’re not ready to take the plunge but want to contribute to solar development, you can sign up online to be a SNAP supporter. Below are the personal stories from two successful SNAP producers who were profiled in the 2013 SNAP annual report.

Gro Buer and Bruce Williams knew before they built their home in Leavenworth that solar production would be part of it. Their system sits on an attractive wooden framework in their backyard.

Bruce Williams and Gro Buer

Bruce Williams is a former banker who knows a good investment when he sees it. Placing solar modules at the home he shares with wife Gro Buer and their daughter Marina made economic sense, he said. “The system will pay for itself in six to seven years,” Bruce said. “When you think about where to invest your dollars these days… it’s a much better investment than bank CDs.” The 38 solar modules are mounted on a wooden framework at the couple’s home on East Leavenworth Road. Their capacity is | The Good Life

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7.2 kilowatts. Economics was not the only factor behind the decision Bruce and Gro made to plant solar panels next to their vegetable garden. They’re also making a personal statement about support of alternative energy. “As a country we are way too dependent on foreign oil,” Bruce said. “Then there’s the issue of climate change. This (solar) will take awhile to develop, but it’s worth it to us as a country to figure out how to reduce our consumption of foreign oil and our carbon output.” The Williams/Buer home sits on four acres with a captivating mountain view.

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“Even though electricity is inexpensive here, I don’t see power getting any cheaper,” Gro, who used to teach science, was the driving force behind the solar installation; she had insisted on placing panels at the couple’s former home in Seattle as well. Gro now teaches English as a Second Language at Wenatchee Valley College. Bruce is retired yet serves on the boards of the public hospital district that operates Cascade Medical Center, PCC Natural Markets and his former employer, HomeStreet Bank, where he was CEO. They moved here from Seattle three years ago and “feel really, really lucky to be here,” he said. They acknowledge neighbors Lauren Johnson and Barbara Rossing, who have a similar solar set-up, for getting them started. They’re happy with the work done by Leavenworth Electric to install their system. And they have kudos for the SNAP program. “The combination made it easy for us to do this,” Bruce said.

Vic Rasmussen

Fifteen solar modules are tucked away on the south-facing side of Vic Rasmussen’s home on a quiet cul-de-sac in Wenatchee. Vic’s system has a capacity of 2.85 kilowatts. He joined SNAP in March 2012 and says the system “continues to be problemfree and we are very happy with it.” Vic said he had three reasons for putting solar panels on the roof of his garage: Capitalize on a federal tax credit, stabilize expenses (utility bills) before going into retirement and improve the value of his house. So far, so good. The credit

Vic Rasmussen took advantage of optimal sun exposure to place solar modules on the garage of his Wenatchee home.

showed up on his 2013 taxes. In the summer, he’s producing up to a third of the energy used at his home. And in conjunction with a major remodeling project, he’s secured a lasting investment in his home. As a matter of fact, there’s room for additional solar panels, should he decide to add them. The roof has optimal sun exposure, grabbing up to 98 percent of each day’s rays. “Even though electricity is inexpensive here, I don’t see power getting any cheaper,” he said. “The more control I have over my bills in retirement the better off I’ll be. “I endorse this technology,” he said. “Solar is very non-obtrusive, there are no moving parts. It should go on for a long period of time and just continue producing electricity.” Susan Gillin is the SNAP program coordinator for Chelan County PUD. March 2014 | The Good Life

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LOG LOVE

STORY BY SUSAN LAGSDIN

“I

They turned an investment into a warm family home, but AFTER 23 YEARS, IT’S TIME FOR this couple TO SCALE DOWN

| The Good Life

t’s okay if you say I cried,” said Lisa, wiping away a few unexpected tears. “It’s just that we love this place so much! It’s been such an awesome place for our family.” The ungainly, unfinished

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| March 2014

house that Tom and Lisa Kriskovic bought — to flip for a quick profit;yes, it was the early ’90s — changed their lives. On a quick visit to Wenatchee and their new purchase, they fell in love with the town and moved into the investment, changing it from a hollow log box to a

Quartz counter tops and a Travertine marble back splash add a lot of functional shine to the wide open kitchen. Installing cabinetry on rounded logs walls was a challenge. Lisa and Tom Kriskovic (and their little dog) pose in front of the main floor’s fireplace. Twenty-three year Wenatchee residents, they’re moving on up, but just up the road. Photo by Donna Cassidy

Lisa, with their year-old daughter, soon opened Apple Blossom Bed and Breakfast. Lisa explained, “We had loved the little pensions when we traveled in Europe, and thought we could re-create that here, but… it’s a little different when it’s

The traditional warmth of wood’s color and texture are magnified by the added mass of log construction. Here, soft seating and plush carpet add even more comfort.

comfortable family home for 23 years. But now they’re ready to move on, making the natural midlife transition from large (3,600 square feet) to small, from three stories to one. Lisa’s long-term job is managing fitness programs, and Tom is an established real estate broker, so they’re not going far — they’ll build a simpler home on their acreage farther up Fifth Street. And this place? Well, it’s had a rich and varied life of its own. After making necessary upgrades, new owners Tom and

}}} Continued on next page

March 2014 | The Good Life

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An early reconstruction creatively carved this luxurious master bath out of a simple family bathroom and half a den, leaving room to spare for a mudroom/powder room.

Log love }}} Continued from previous page in your own house!” Two years adapting to pleasant company, and lots of it, ended that venture. The big acre lot, mostly dirt and weeds at the 1991 move-

in, was transformed into lawn, garden, trees orchard and ornamental, and a par 3 golf course with water hazards, a sand trap and a 75 yard shot down the side of the lot. Tom said, “We meant it for the B&B guests, but I realized it saved me from spending five hours away from home at the course — and that meant more quality time with my

daughter and my buddies.” Then in 2000, just before daughter Ellise graduated from high school, Tom and Lisa decided to expand their family, not in the usual way, but by “adopting” young men every year, four years in a row. They were a foster boarding house for the Wenatchee Wild’s junior hockey players — big

NCW Home Professionals

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| March 2014

boys, lots of noise, rowdy escapades and a closeness that formed a warm bond. It was the sad feelings of loss that came with a mid-season trade of the last boys that made them realize they’d also run their course as a surrogate family. Forward 10 years. No problems. Business is good, work is good, but the house is huge and too quiet. “We really live here, on the first floor,” said Lisa, “and use the downstairs family room just for TV.” They love the layout of their home, remodeled over time with good materials and a lot of strategic planning. And they are definitely prolog. They’d lived in a pre-cut Pan Abode on the west side. But this house, with its 14-inch diameter logs, cedar plank ceilings and huge weight bearing beams, was a step up. Lisa’s eye for rustic elegance meant that artwork, accessories, earthy paints like terra cotta and olive and especially the rich tones of the fabrics (chosen by Mary Marsten at Material

The main floor master bedroom, like the living and dining rooms, opens on to an east-facing deck offering morning sunshine and a view made private with an acre of mature landscaping.

Up the open staircase, on the second story are a loft sitting room and two former B&B bedrooms and bath. The upstairs now serves the Kriskovics well as guest quarters and office space.

Things), are congruent with the feel of the structure. “Some people think log house and antlers, trophy heads.” She said, “That really didn’t fit us!” Tom debunked some myths about living in a modern log home. “The insulation between the logs is flawless. I found one crack years ago and caulked it

with foam — after that it’s been air tight and warm.” And what about cleaning the interior log surface? “Once a year, we use a ladder and just clean all the tops. That’s it.” A special varnish makes that process a wipe, not a scrub. And best of all, log walls are forgiving. No need to paint, ever. Plus, sheetrock walls show scrapes March 2014 | The Good Life

and nicks, while log walls acquire a rich patina. They’ve updated the home over the years to suit new needs. The first big job was removing tile floors in favor of distressed plank flooring and plenty of carpet for softness. Next, baseboard heaters had to go — replaced by heat pumps and related ductwork, inconspicuously masked on the ceiling of the basement’s family room. The main floor’s original two small bedrooms and bath (its door planted right next to the kitchen) were reconstructed to form a private master suite as well as a powder room. In 2002 the kitchen, which opens to the separate dining area, got new cabinets from Bagdons, meticulously scribed to accommodate the curve of the log walls. It was recently modernized with quartz and marble counters. But some things don’t change. Daughter Ellise, grown and away, returns for visits and can stay in her teenage digs, a basement bed and bath suite. On the second floor, the four slant-ceilinged log and beam rooms and a bath up the padded staircase are extra space but still house the occasional visitor. And, best of all, and maybe hardest to give up come next December: the 20-foot ceilings in the big main room can still accommodate the biggest tree you could find. Lisa said, “Oh, you should see this place at Christmas. It was made for winter … the lights twinkling, the fireplace, the snow outside… and the tree. We’ve always had a huge Christmas tree.” She glistened just saying it. Times change, and this couple is happy to journey into the future. But sometimes with just a little cry. www.ncwgoodlife.com

• Sports Biomechanics • Physical Therapy • Video Gait Analysis Orthotics • Functional Testing • Pool Therapy • Massage Therapy

column moving up to the good life

june darling

Five motherly coaching tips And A Few Observations For Achieving Work And Life Balance Editor’s note: Every CEO in business has a mother... June Darling, Ph.D., executive coach, is also the proud mom of a CEO Hoby Darling — and in the special position to pass along tips on living a balanced life.

ne year ago, after much thought and discussion with his wife, my son, Hoby, accepted the position of chief executive officer and president of Skullcandy. Skullcandy — listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange — is best known for trendy ear-

phones and ear buds. As my son says, “I have the best job in the world,” but I also know how hard he works and the sacrifices he and his family make in order to accomplish the company’s goals; to be the most desirable employer while also providing solid long-term returns to shareholders. Living a good life while working hard and the pressure of hundreds of families counting on a paycheck and shareholders seeking financial returns can be challenging. Recently The Wall Street Journal decided to write an article about Skullcandy and Hoby. The newspaper also asked me to write a sidebar about work and life balance. I am not sure if my thoughts will ever make it to

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The Wall Street Journal, but here they are for The Good Life. Work and life balance is definitely an important topic, but sadly not much has been written which is actually useful. My ideas from the perspective of both a mother and an executive coach are these: 1. Be sure that you are not living someone else’s life. Just because your parents wanted you to be a corporate lawyer, Olympic skier, or CEO does not mean it is right for you. Vast amounts of energy are required for skilled performances. If you are making yourself do a job because you want to live up to others’ expectations, you simply will not have the vitality you need. You will not be able to perform promptly, accurately,

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| March 2014

decisively and creatively. You will waste time. Come to grips with this and make plans to exit your current job (if you are there because it was someone else’s vision for you) and move on to live your own life. You may need the help of a coach or therapist to muster your courage and move forward. 2. You can streamline your life in many ways, but guard your sleep. Not even superstars can function well with three hours of sleep. The research is clear on this. You need good, quality sleep for resilience, sustained focus and creativity. For over 97 percent of us, that means planning

Exercise is a good antidote for fuzzy thinking and emotional upheavals. for seven to 10 hours in the sack — eight hours is the best for most of us. I realize there will be days when eight hours of sleep is not possible, but you must consistently aim for that to perform at your best. 3. Make exercise a priority. Hoby works out religiously at 5:15 a.m. Exercise is where he finds inspiration and peace. Skullcandy employees exercise as a group through companysponsored runs, mountain biking and powder days, along with more traditional gym workouts. You may find ways to curtail the time you exercise and still get a good result. For example, Hoby does more short and intense Crossfit workouts than long marathon type activities. Exercise builds your vitality, your stamina and your emotional stability. Much time is lost at work because of anxiety, anger, depression and confusion. Exercise is a good antidote for fuzzy thinking and emotional upheavals. 4. Appreciate work. Work can be a powerful source of fulfillment. It provides direction, purpose, and meaning, along with offering opportunities for learning, growth and achievement. The money is useful too. The act of appreciation can undo your stress and make you more productive. 5. Toughen up. If you are a baby boomer or younger, you may suffer from what I call “The Pink Princess Plate Syndrome.” You are easily thrown by small setbacks, being criticized, having a pimple, feeling a little uncomfortable, or not getting your way. I labeled this overreaction to life’s inevitable small adversi-

ties after watching one of my granddaughters have a meltdown because she did not get her noodles served on her pink princess plate. Many people get off track and lose time because they turn molehills into mountains. Catch your pink princess plate moments. Breathe, look for a way to grow from the experience, and move on. Here are an additional few observations about living the good life while working hard. The term “work and life balance” is tricky. If, by work and life balance, we are encouraging people to find a good mix of work and other activities so that they are healthy, they perform well and so that life feels invigorating and meaningful, fine. But if we mean that one should spend a certain amount of time at work and precisely the same amount of time outside of work in order to live the good life, then the term becomes problematic because we each need a different mix. Everyone’s situation and personal desires are different. We know that people need a certain amount of sleep and exercise, but we do not know precisely how much time should be spent with family — this is personal. With that in mind, I have noticed that Hoby makes a concerted effort to be home by leaving work earlier on Fridays. These Fridays are often spent with his family and other important people in his life. On Sundays during the winter months in Park City, Utah (Skullcandy headquarters), he is on the slopes, happily savoring riding for at least part of the day with his colleagues, friends and family. You may need to experiment to find the right mix of time and activities for your mental health, performance and family fit. Consider also that you may know more about how to achieve both good work and a happy life than you realize. Recently, I was working with March 2014 | The Good Life

someone who said his life was totally out of control, that he had no life balance. Neither his work nor his life outside of work felt good. As we started listing some of the ideas he might give to someone else about how to create a more fulfilling balance of work and life, the man listed over 32 ideas. Two of those ideas he put into practice the next day. The solution to work and life balance is finding the right work, having the right attitude and the right mix of work and other activities so that you are vital, productive and happy. How might you move up to The Good Life by achieving work and life balance? June Darling, Ph.D. can be contacted at drjunedarling1@gmail.com; website: www.summitgroupresources. com. Her book - 7 Giant Steps To The Good Life can be bought or read for free at: http://www.bookemon.com/ book-profile/giant-steps-to-the-goodlife/285095.

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column GARDEN OF DELIGHTS

bonnie orr

Herbs — fresh from the winter garden M

arch is a winter month. What can we find in the garden to delight our senses? Herbs, which add a finishing touch for both the palate and the eye, are truly worth cultivating year round. You can buy herbs in the store — but primarily the humdrum ones: rosemary, parsley and thyme. I have often mentioned how easy it is to freeze fresh herbs during the summer because it is convenient to have them ready to add at the last minute to your favorite dishes or to provide the finish required in the recipe. Window-sill gardening is often disappointing because of our low winter light. So what can be over-wintered? It is surprising to see how many herbs we can find in our garden at this time of year. In past years, we have had mild enough temperatures; some people have told me that their Rosemary survived the winter. This past December’s weather most likely killed all the Rosemary as well as the sweet Marjoram. What did I find in my garden today? Herbs and salad embellishments are available. Oregano. Parsley. Savory. Sorrel. Salad Burnet. Kale. Spinach, Swiss Chard, and the arugula is peeking up. There are not large amounts of them, but there is enough to harvest once a week. The evergreen, salad burnet, can even be dug from the snow if we ever have any again; it is even happier this year with an open winter. This cucumber–scented herb Bonnie Orr — the dirt diva — cooks and gardens in East Wenatchee.

let it go to seed this spring, you will never have to re-sow it. Kale is so versatile in soup and salad. My plants from last spring are still putting out new leaves. In fact, I will let them grow this spring because the dainty yellow flowers are edible and decorative in Sorrel salad dressing has the tastes of sorrel leaves, naturally, but also parsley, shallot, some orange juice and sour cream. This salad rests in a bowl made from lettuce leaves. salads. An added bonus spreads readily from seed and is is the flowers attract beneficial essential to any herb garden. It insects to your garden. is also a world traveler carried Parsley is a biennial (lives by English settlers wherever in for two years). The first year it the world they settled. 1 dozen large sorrel leaves, mid ribs grows massive amounts of leaves removed This herb is delicious raw in that you can use as a flower bed 1/2 cup parsley leaves only salads or sprinkled as a garnish border or in your garden — and 1/4 cup olive oil as you would parsley over scramharvest, chop and freeze. 1 medium shallot bled eggs, etc. Sometimes I use Then the second year, there 1/2 cup orange juice the entire leaves as a garnish, is a flush of leaves and a long salt and pepper and sometimes I strip them off flowering stalk that produces 1/2 cup sour cream the stems (which are actually hundreds of seeds. tender enough to eat) and cut The flowers, again, attract 1. Mix all the ingredients except for them up to add to a salad. beneficial insects, and if you let sour cream in a food processor until This is definitely a leaf that smooth. the flowers mature to seed, you can be eaten only fresh. 2. Stir in the sour cream. will never have to plant parsley Sorrel, a lemony-tasting herb, again! Store up to a week in the refrigerapersists through the winter and My parsley plants have protor really starts to flourish early duced small dense leaves all in the spring. It makes a deliwinter, and I have clipped them Spinach also grows all winter cious complement to a salad or a every week for salads. long. The leaves are small, and creamy soup. Any of the herbs can be the you most likely will not get an If you remove the mid-vein added spark in a risotto. entire salad — but, they will and cook the leaves in a little The delight of the garden is liven up any salad as an accent. chicken stock and a tablespoon finding something to put on the Swiss Chard does not have to of butter for five minutes, then table all year long. be pulled up in the fall. It conwhirl it in the food processor, it The herbs provide green acmakes a lovely sauce for poached tinues to put out leaves until it is cents in the yard when all else is knocked down by snow — and eggs or for an egg salad. gray — and haven’t we had the then you will still find new tenMy favorite is a salad dressing gray this year! der leaves to add to salad. If you for iceberg lettuce.

Sorrel Salad Dressing

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| March 2014

PET tales

Tells us a story about your pet. Submit pet & owner pictures to: editor@ncwgoodlife.com

Malia with her fur-brother

e adopted Champ from the Wenatchee Valley Humane Shelter last year. The first time we saw him he was looked so sad in the kennel. Our hearts instantly went out to him. We took him on a short walk and he instantly gravitated to my son, Gavin. We knew right away he was the one for us. He adapted right away to our home and family. He is a fun, loving, extremely smart and happy boy. My son and him have become best buddies. I was very impressed with how fast he came to fit in. Every day I’m thankful for him coming into our lives. He has brought us a lot of happiness. He filled an empty spot in our family that we didn’t even know existed. He has definitely became a blessing.

Blue. Blue was rescued from a kill shelter in California. When he was picked up as a stray he was underweight and his ears were cut off. We brought him back to Wenatchee and got him healthy. He is the biggest baby

You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you...

>> RANDOM QUOTE

Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. Mark Twain

— Abigail Walker

March 2014 | The Good Life

and loves taking pictures with the kids. — Joanne Renteria

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column THE TRAVELing DOCTOR

jim brown, m.d.

Choosing a day to say: ‘I’m ready to die’ F

orest Robinson knew how and where he was going to die. He had already picked the date, Dec. 16, 2013. For over five years he had been suffering from intractable pain in his left leg and knee. Twenty years previously he had a total knee replacement. His chronic pain now was thought to be related to that replacement failing. He was scheduled for surgery again to replace that prosthesis. At surgery however, a malignant bone tumor was found just below that knee, biopsies were done and the diagnosis was a malignant bone sarcoma. The only option now was an amputation of the leg above the knee. Ironically, Forest had served as a U.S. Navy medic during the Korean War and worked in an amputee ward. After his amputation, he was sent to a Wenatchee oncologist who did a body cancer scan which revealed wide-spread cancer throughout his body. He was given three to six months to live. He now was wheelchair bound, and as his pain became worse his care became more difficult. He put up a sign in his house that said “Do Not Resuscitate” in case any medical personnel happened to be called for any reason. He had always said that he never wanted to end up in a nursing home or be hooked up to a machine. At this point Forest and his wife Barbara discovered the web site http://www.compassionwa. org, which introduced them to the Washington State’s Death With Dignity law. When I interviewed his wife

Barbara, she indicated that she and Forest wanted to share their story with others and about the compassionate people who guided them through the process of Forest’s death with dignity. On Dec. 16, 2013, Forest drank his Phenobarbital drink, went into a deep sleep and died 45 minutes later surrounded by family — his wife at his side holding his hand to the end, his four children and a brother. In addition, a Hospice minister and nurse and a compassionate care volunteer were also there supporting them. Barbara said that she had lost 25 pounds of weight through Forest’s ordeal, and she was relieved for him when his suffering was over and grateful that “he did it his way.” Sarah, a lifelong friend of my wife, started having trouble walking in 2009. She could not keep up with her husband, Bob even when walking on the level. As these issues worsened they saw several neurologists, and finally a diagnosis of ALS — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — was made. ALS is a progressive, fatal disease for which, at this time, there is no cure. Sarah’s greatest fear was to spend the last few months of her life on a respirator, being fed via a feeding tube. Because their state does not have a Death with Dignity law, Sarah and Bob started to explore the Internet for other options. They discovered Dignitas, an organization in Switzerland where Death With Dignity services are legal. When Sarah became wheelchair bound, she applied for the physician-assisted death with Dignitas. This required send-

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ing medical records and having frequent contacts with the staff in Switzerland. Once accepted by Dignitas, the patient is given the “green light” that they can come at the time of their choosing to Switzerland. Bob said that just getting this “green light” was a great relief to Sarah. Dignitas told Bob that many patients who get the “green light” never end up taking that option. On Nov. 12, 2012, they arrived in Switzerland accompanied by their two grown children. Sarah had interviews and examinations by two physicians there who determined her mental state and suitability for their program. She was told she didn’t need to go through with this, and it was OK to change her mind, to which Sarah said, “I’m ready.” On the day of her death she drank the Phenobarbital mixture and died with her family holding her in their arms as she quickly went to sleep and then stopped breathing. Bob, who wanted to share their story, told me how fortunate we are to live in Washington State where this is legal. We humans all share in two universal things, our birth and our death. Most of us don’t talk about death very much and rarely about our own dying. I suspect many would agree with Woody Allen when he said, “I am not afraid of death. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” It seems shocking and tragic when a young person dies but not quite so when persons in their seventh, eighth or ninth decade of life die. Too often death comes in a

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| March 2014

hospital following heroic measures to attempt to forestall a death, which seemed imminent and inevitable. Often elderly people are admitted to a hospital into intensive care and undergo numerous invasive procedures, surgeries, defibrillators, medications, feeding tubes and heavy sedation that offer only a very short extension of time and questionable quality of life. On several occasions when I had elderly patients who were critical, their family members, who might not have had much contact with their parent or grandparent for years, arrived on the scene pushing for everything to be done to keep their family member alive. Medicare spends one-fourth of its annual budget on medical treatments in the last year of life. One-third of Medicare patients undergo surgery or intensive care in their final year. Dying at home rarely happens these days. Unfortunately only a small percentage of older people have a health advance directive (living will) or a durable power of attorney for health care. These directives, made out when people are alert and have full understanding, tell family and physicians how they want to be treated or not treated near the end of their life. Oregon was the first state to pass a Death with Dignity Act (DWD), which was enacted in 1997. Washington State enacted a similar law in 2009. In 2013 Vermont also passed a DWD law. These are the only states with legislation which allows physi-

cians to prescribe lethal doses of medication to aid a person in ending their life if they meet certain criteria. The person has to be terminally ill with an estimated six months or less to live. Statistics for Oregon and Washington are remarkably similar. From 1997 through 2012 in Oregon, a total of 1,050 received DWD prescriptions, but only 673 died by ingesting their prescription drug (64 percent). In Washington from 2009 through 2012 there were 334 prescriptions and 240 deaths (68 percent) from ingesting the drug. In Washington over 90 percent died in their own home and 92 percent were in hospice care at the time of their death. Their diagnoses were remarkably similar, with cancer accounting for 80 percent and neurology degenerative disease, primarily ALS, 10 percent. In both states the reasons given for choosing an assisted death was for 94 percent the loss of autonomy, 90 percent felt they were less able to engage in activities that made life enjoyable, 84 percent felt a loss of dignity. Around 54 percent had experienced a loss of control of bodily functions and 63 percent felt they were a burden to their family. Only 33 percent mentioned inadequate pain control and only 5 percent mentioned the financial implications of their care as a reason. When the Washington law was passed, there was concern by many physicians that it was counter to their role as physicians, which was to preserve life, heal illness and reduce suffering. There was an all-doctor meeting held at the Wenatchee Medical Center to discuss this issue. Some wanted all physicians in our clinic to refrain from prescribing these lethal medications. The final decision was that it was a personal decision between the physician and patient. Many said the law is in opposition to their religious views. A

vast majority of religions of all types appear opposed to Death with Dignity, as it is now available in our state. It is ironic to me that some of these same churches sanction or approve of capital punishment including the Southern Baptist Church and the National Association of Evangelicals. The Catholic Church, while opposed to capital punishment, sanctions it as a last recourse. On the other hand, since 1968, the National Council of Churches, made up of 35 mainstream protestant and orthodox churches, has advocated for the abolishment of capital punishment. Not everyone agrees with the Death with Dignity law even though it passed a vote by the majority in our state. I have been at the deathbed with many patients. One minute their body functions are still working and suddenly the “person” or I think the “soul” is released as the body that housed it has completed its task. I don’t believe that death is the end but a beginning with the soul released into the cosmos, the great mystery. My personal view on this subject is that there are certain illnesses such as ALS and metastatic cancer that have defied all forms of treatment and are a certain death sentence. If a patient chooses to end his or her life under those circumstances, to be able to be surrounded by family and friends, to say their final goodbyes and have the privilege of dying in their own bed, why not? In the two examples recounted above, deciding when to end their lives gave the persons a feeling of dignity and control over extremely difficult circumstances.

4 Presented by:

March 19th 12pm Wenatchee Convention Center

www.gwata.org Awarding:

Entrepreneur of the Year Tech Savvy Business of the Year Future Technology Leader Innovative Use of Technology in the Classroom Lifetime Achievement Award- Mike & JoAnn Walker 14 years of honoring North Central Washington entrepreneurs, tech savvy businesses, teachers and students

Jim Brown, M.D., is a retired gastroenterologist who has practiced for 38 years in the Wenatchee area. He is a former CEO of the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center.

March 2014 | The Good Life

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Finalist Videography by

Twists and turns Jen Phillips grew up in an anti-dance household — but she has happy feet now “Loose, footloose kick off your Sunday shoes… Please, Louise pull me offa my knees… Jack, get back c’mon before we crack…. Lose your blues — everybody cut footloose” “I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night and still have begged for more, I could have spread my wings and done a thousand things I’ve never done before.”

hese lyrics from Footloose and My Fair Lady were never a part of Jen Phillips’s musical vocabulary, and dancing itself was definitely not an option in the conservative religious home of her Colorado childhood, where the very idea was sinful. “And imagine me even mentioning ‘Dirty’ and ‘Dancing’ in the same sentence! Oh, no, I never saw that movie… ’til later,” said Jen. The first big change came 20 years ago when she dutifully accepted a new task at Denver Parks and Recreation, filling in for an employee who’d quit — and suddenly she was teaching line dance classes. “I didn’t know enough to say no, and the people in the class were gracious enough to teach

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me all they knew!” Jen grew comfortable with that solo form, and then a friend hauled her off to a country western club teaching line dancing — an unfamiliar milieu, but not a huge stretch, because she knew the steps. “But then at the end they switched to triple-step partner dancing, and I had so much fun I stayed ’til midnight!” She fell in love. Not with her partner, but with partner dancing. The rest is all dancing, all the time. Since 2010 Jen has lived in Chelan with her husband and 12-year-old son and continues to teach dancing professionJen Phillips: “Dancing is like a marriage. It’s conally both there and stant communication — it taught me... how to in Wenatchee. This experience harmonious connection with another winter and spring human being.” she’s offering levels of classes in West Coast Swing (her crowds. And there’s talk of a St. personal best favorite) and East Patrick’s Day one in the works Coast Swing, the Country West- this year. ern Two-Step and the Nightclub Perhaps because of her sideTwo-Step (oh yes, they are all ways entry into the profession, different), the Jitterbug, the Jen’s become an intent and Charleston, the Cha Cha and inventive learner. She works even Irish Ceili Dancing. hard at her skills, internalizing And she’s developed a new techniques from YouTube clips dance addiction, based on the or master classes. Like her years “flash mobs” enabled by instant of music lessons, and more communication. recently, her foray into visual Goaded (again) by a friend, Jen art, dancing complements her watched a clip of a Thriller flash everyday life. mob in Seattle and decided it She said, “Piano has taught me could happen here. how to hear. Drawing has taught Halloween of 2012 saw dozens me how to see. Dancing has of very well-prepared zombies taught me how to move.” doin’ their Michael Jackson And dancing (differentiated moves in Chelan’s main interfrom performance modes of section, surrounded by five-deep “dance:” ballet, jazz, tap, and

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| March 2014

the like) is what Jen absolutely adores. She explains, “Dancing is like a marriage. It’s constant communication — it taught me, and it teaches others, how to experience harmonious connection with another human being.” The evening Jen was interviewed, she welcomed two clients to a private lesson at her Wenatchee “studio,” the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center. She counted out slowslow-quick-quick counts and gave oh-so-gentle corrections and an enthusiastic “Yes, yes, you’ve got it” as the middle aged couple slowly executed American Rumba steps in preparation for a daughter’s formal wedding. Then Jen actually lead the male partner, to show him exactly how it feels to follow, and the woman turned and mouthed, smiling. “Jen’s s-o-o-o-o good.” Overcoming fear of failure, of clumsiness, of making mistakes — all of Jen’s students suffer through some version of those beginner moments. But she tries to bring them through and out and up to dance with confidence. Jen has a fresh perspective on her work. “When I was younger I wanted to do something that mattered to other people. But now rather than trying to ‘matter’ to others, I have come to realize how much other people matter to me.” — by Susan Lagsdin To learn more about Jen’s dancing lessons and events, go to www.jensdanceco.com.

WHAT TO DO

We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com

Pybus Public Market, every Thursday night is locals night, 5 – 8 p.m. Live music, cooking demonstrations and local vendors. Cashmere Art and Activity Center, needle art every second Tuesday, 1 p.m. Pinochle every fourth Tuesday, 1 p.m. Hat Group every Thursday, 1:30 – 3 p.m., knitters, crocheters and loom artists welcome. Info: 782-2415. NCW Blues Jam, every second and fourth Monday, 7:30 – 11 p.m. Clearwater Steakhouse, East Wenatchee. Info: facebook.com/NCWBluesJam. Improv/Acting Workshop, 7 p.m. Every Tuesday night with theater games for novice and experienced players. Fun, casual and free. Riverside Playhouse. Cost: free. Info: mtow.org. Winter Special Olympics, 2/28, 3/1 - 2, Over 1,700 athletes will compete in multiple events at several venues throughout the Wenatchee valley. Info: specialolympicswashington.org. Ingalls Creek Winter Hike, 3/1, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Join photographer and fire ecology enthusiast John Marshall and entomologist Connie Mehmel for a winter hike on the Ingalls Creek trail to enjoy the winter wildlife and discuss forest health. John will talk about the importance of fire as an inevitable and integral part of forest ecology, but also a force with the potential for destruction. Connie will discuss insects and their effect on forest health. Info: cdlandtrust.org. Strollin through your colon, 3/1-2, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. The staff and physicians of Confluence Health in-

March 2014 | The Good Life

vite you to stroll through your colon at Pybus Market. Medical experts will be on hand to tell you how to prevent and detect colon cancer. Cost: free. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org.

conductor Nikolas Caoile in the theater at 6 p.m. for a Concert Prelude with background information about Mozart and these contemporaneous works. Performing Arts Center. Info: pacwen.org.

Prince Igor, 3/1, 9:55 a.m. Four act opera adapted from the East Slavic epic, The Lay of Igor’s Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor against the invasion of Polovtsian tribes in 1185. Snowy Owl Theater. Info: icicle.org.

Who Cares about Kelsey? 3/4, 5:30 p.m. A documentary by Dan Habib. A story of Kelsey’s transformation from a defiant and disruptive problem student to a motivated and self-confident young woman. Performing Arts Center. Info: pacwen.org.

Wenatchee Firefighter fundraiser, 3/1, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Local firefighters will be on hand in full fire gear demonstrating stair climbing on a Stairmaster. Tours of fire trucks, too. Donations accepted and go to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Pybus Public Market. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Authors, prizes and treats, 3/1, 1 – 3 p.m. Prizes, food and authors, Carol Cassella’s newest novel, Gemini; Gregory Nokes, Breaking Chains: Slavery on Trail in the Oregon Territory and Karen Spears Zachairas Mother of Rain. A Book For All Seasons. Cost: free. Info: abookforallseasons.com. Enchanted Evening, 3/1, 5:30 p.m. Put on a nice dress or tie for wine, dinner and benefit auction in support of victims of violence. All proceeds benefit SAGE, a community resource for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, general crime and child victims of violence. Wenatchee Golf and Country Club. Cost: $50 or 2 for $85. Info: findsafety.org. Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra Concert: Opera, 3/1, 7 p.m. Act II from Mozart’s opera Marriage of Figaro will be presented. Mozart’s Symphony 38 Prague is also on the program. Patrons may join music director and

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Pybus University – Adventures in Kenya, 3/4, 7 p.m. Pybus Public Market. Info: pybuspublicmarket. org. Wenatchee Valley Chamber banquet, 3/6, 5:30 p.m. Wenatchee Convention Center. Info: Wenatchee.org. The Canterville Ghost, 3/6-8, 8 p.m. The Wenatchee Valley College presents The Canterville Ghost, a hilarious tale of Sir Simon Canterville, an ancient ghost who must deal with his worst nightmare – Americans! Cost: $8, $4 students/ seniors. Wenatchee Valley College campus theater. EMPTY BOWLS ARTIST BOWL AUCTION, 3/6 – 3/20. The 18th Annual Leavenworth Empty Bowls Festival is auctioning 15 bowls crafted by local artists. All proceeds benefit the Community Cupboard food bank and provide small grants for youth art programs. Twelve bowls will be auctioned exclusively on-line March 6-19. Three bowls will be auctioned exclusively onthe-air on March 19 and 20 from 8 to 9 a.m. on KOHO 101.1 FM. Go to www.uvmend.org for auction details and to see the bowls. In support of the Feinstein Challenge to End Hunger.

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WHAT TO DO

We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com

}}} Continued from previous page Vox Docs Film Festival, 3/7, 7 p.m. 3/8, all day. 5 award-winning documentary screenings at Snowy Owl Theater. Info: voxdocs.org. Wenatchee First Fridays ArtsWalk, 3/7, 5 - 8 p.m. Check out Wenatchee’s arts scene. Venues and exhibits change monthly. Self-guided. WVC Campus and Historic District. Cost: art-walk free, after-events may have admission fees. Monthly info: wenatcheefirstfridaysartswalk.tumblr.com. Two Rivers Art Gallery, 3/7, 5 – 8 p.m. Celebrating its fifth year anniversary. Celestial Strings, Brian and Connie Celustka will play. Wines by Horan Estate Winery, complimentary refreshments. 102 N Columbia, Wenatchee. Cost: free. Info: 2riversgallery.com. Tumbleweed Bead Co., 3/7, 5-8 p.m. Featured artist Michele Arroyo, artist and mother, incorporates mindfulness teachings into her work, her daily tasks and relationships. Her passion for shar-

ing those teachings while sharing her passion for creating art, will make our world brighter. Join us for an evening of coloring, story time, snacks, and fun. 105 Palouse St. Cost: free. Info: tumbleweedbeadco.com. Small Artworks Gallery, 3/7, 5 p.m. 13 local artists works will be on display at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Info: wvmcc.org. Music for the Heart and Soul, 3/7, 7 p.m. Emcee Matt Cadman, along with the Apollo Club, Wenatchee Appleaires, Mariachi Huenachi, Common Bond 5, Columbia Chorale, Living Waters, Old Time Fiddlers all will perform. Mobile Meals benefit concert. Performing Arts Center. Cost: $12 in advance or $17 at the door. Info: pacwen.org. Praise and Joy, 3/7, 7 p.m. Pastors Larry Morris, Dave Ellingson and Paul Palumbo share stories and poems of faith. Leavenworth Library. Cost: free. Info: abookforsallseasons.com. Dewayne Barrett, 3/8. Internationally acclaimed casting director and choreographer, Dewayne Bar-

rett, is coming to the Performing Arts Center one day only to teach four, 2 hour clinics in ballet, jazz, tap and music theater. Cost: $60 each session or $200 for entire day. Info: pacwen.org. Book Signing, 3/8, 1 p.m. With openness, honesty, and humor, Pastors Larry Morris, Dave Ellingson and Paul Palumbo have written works that open windows and show details often missed. Looking for what makes God laugh, these works rejoice in joy, hope, love, and play. A Book For all Seasons. Cost: free. Info: abookforallseasons.com. River Academy’s Benefit Dinner, 3/8, 6 p.m. Wenatchee Convention Center Grand Ballroom. RSVP: 665-2415. Alzheimer’s Café, 3/11, 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. Mountain Meadows Senior Living Campus hosts a cafe the second Tuesday of every month. This is a casual setting for folks with Alzheimer’s, dementia, their loved ones and caregivers. Desserts and beverages will be served free of charge. Entertainment and activities for those wishing to participate. Join us to meet new friends and share experiences. Located at 320 Park Avenue, Leavenworth. Info: 548-4076. Pybus University – Wenatchee’s History, 3/11, 7 p.m. Pybus Public Market. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org.

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| March 2014

YWCA Lot Sale, 3/12-13, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tons of stuff for sale at YWCA parking lot. Cost: free. Presentation, 3/12, 7 p.m. Author Jamie Ford will be at the Wenatchee Library with his new book Songs of Willow Frost, a tale of haunting dreams, hope and forgiveness. Cost: free. Info: abookforallseasons. St. Paddy’s Run, 3/13, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Start thinking green. Beer discounts at Saddle Rock Pub, prizes from RunWenatchee for best dressed St. Paddy’s attire and a surprise appearance by as yet unidentified special guest. Starts at Saddle Rock Pub. KPQ Home and Garden Show, 3/14-16. Town Toyota Center. Julia Cameron, 3/14, 7 p.m. Author of The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron will be at Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $25 general, $15 student/senior. Info: abookforallseasons.com. One Acts, 3/14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29. Mission Creek Players will perform this comedy collection featuring the wit, satire and fun of David Ives. Riverside Playhouse. Cost: $15. Werther, 3/15, 9:55 a.m. Jules Massenet’s tragic romance feature the brooding poet Werther and his unattainable love, Charlotte. Snowy Owl Theater. Info: icicle.org.

WHAT TO DO

We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com

Steer’s Head Hike at Sam Hill, 3/15, 10 a.m. Join Ann and Don Schaechtel at the Sam Hill property to look for Steer’s Head (Dicentra uniflora). This novelty wildflower is related to Bleeding Heart, blooms early and is easy to overlook, as the plants are less than 2 inches tall. Info: cdlandtrust.org. Wenatchee Irish Dance, 3/15, noon – 4 p.m. Dancers from age 6 to 12 perform a series of Irish reels, jigs, Ceili-team and traditional set dances. Pybus Public Market. Book signing, 3/15, 1 p.m. Author Trent Reedy will be on hand with his new book Divided We Fall, a small town boy gets caught up in a giant national story that just might destroy America. A Book For All Seasons. Cost: free. Info: abookforallseasons.com. St. Patrick’s Day Dinner, 3/15, 5:30 p.m. Guest speaker, local teacher and author John Magnus. Dinner catered by The Ivy Wild. An auction of delectable desserts. All proceeds go to support programs at Catholic Family and Child Service. Kykendall Hall, St Joseph’s Catholic Church. Dinner and Auction, 3/15, 5:30 p.m. Wenatchee Valley Farmers Market will host a dinner, auction and fundraiser at Pybus Market. Info: 888-8864. John Reischman and the Jaybirds 3/15, 7:30 p.m. Live performance. Cashmere Riverside Center. Info: cashmerecoffeehouse.com. St. Patrick’s Day Parade, 3/17, 5 ish p.m. Sunny FM and the Wenatchee Downtown Kiwanis Club again sponsor the shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade Route in the world. One block long at the corner of Orondo and Mission Street, Wenatchee. Compassionate Friends, 3/17, 7 - 8:30 p.m. This is a grief support group to assist families toward positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age, and to provide information to help others be supportive. Grace Lutheran Church, 1408 Washington St. Info: Carol 665-9987. Horan Go Bragh, 3/17, 3 - 7 p.m. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Horan Estates Winery. Visit the production facility for wine, beer

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column the night sky this month

Peter Lind

Early morning planets abound Just one month from opposi-

tion and peak visibility, March provides outstanding views of Mars from late evening until dawn. But Jupiter is still king of the night sky, and will shine brightly from dusk until early dawn. The early morning March sky is full of planet activity, with Saturn as great as ever and Mercury and Venus visible in the pre-dawn sky. Jupiter appears bright among the background stars of Gemini and lies nearly overhead during twilight, and doesn’t set until nearly 4 a.m. Jupiter’s four bright moons orbit their world quickly enough that their positions change noticeably from night to night and often hour to hour. You can typically find at least one moon on each side of the planet, but rarely all four line up on one side. March 8 provides one such opportunity. The moons are fun to see when they cast their small shadows onto the Jovian clouds. The rarest of such transits occurs on March 23 when the shadows of both Io and Ganymede appear on the planet’s disk at the same time. Whenever Jupiter is visible in the night sky, it shines bright and looks impressive through a telescope. Mars, on the other hand, rarely appears bright or impressive. But for a few months every couple of years, the Red Planet changes into an object that captures the attention of both casual viewers and astronomers. That time has arrived. Mars appears striking throughout March, and grows more prominent each night throughout the month. Mars’ brightness more than doubles in March, due to the orbital meMarch 2014 | The Good Life

chanics of it and Earth, and the diameter of its disk grows by 25 percent. Mars’ most prominent feature is its north polar cap. The bright white spot is well-positioned because the planet’s north pole tips about 20 degrees in our direction. The polar caps are mainly water ice but in the cold winter, carbon dioxide freezes out of the atmosphere and causes the caps to grow in size. Saturn rises a little more than two hours after Mars. The ringed planet lies in Libra and reaches its maximum altitude shortly before morning. Even through small telescopes, Saturn and its rings are impressive. This month, the rings tilt 23 degrees to our line of sight. Saturn will grow bigger and shine brighter as its May 10 opposition approaches. Modest telescopes will show several moons and cloud bands on the planet surface. The morning planets, Mercury and Venus, both reach the peak of their visibility this month. Unfortunately, neither planet climbs high above the horizon. On the 22nd, Venus rises two hours before sunrise and stands about two fists width above the horizon. But its brilliance is what sets it apart. It shines much brighter than Jupiter, the sky’s second-brightest point of light. On March 27, a crescent moon passes just above Venus, which will be a sight to see if you’re up early in the morning. Mercury appears only 5 degrees or about a fist’s width above the eastern horizon 30 minutes before sunrise. The planet shines just bright enough to see through binoculars against the dawn glow. Moon-watchers love the early spring when its orbit places the www.ncwgoodlife.com

moon higher in the evening sky than at other times of the year. Observing from Wenatchee on the first of March, you might catch a glimpse of the moon, just 18 hours past new and barely a sliver. The chances are better from the east side of the river and up on the hills behind Fancher Heights looking toward the western horizon. Last Jan. 21 there was an event that excited the astronomy community world over. It was one that happens very seldom and is exciting to see and study. It was a star in a nearby galaxy that went supernova. When a star goes supernova it explodes and blows itself apart leaving nothing but a gas cloud expanding away from where the star was. Most stars will reach the end of their life cycle and do not explode as a supernova; they go nova. When a star goes nova, it blows off gas and continues to burn and changes form. Eventually the star will turn into what is known as either a brown or red dwarf or a neutron star. The event that happened last January was a supernova in the galaxy M81. M81 is a galaxy about 11 million light years away. The star actually exploded 11 million years ago, and the light has been traveling since then. The light arrived here in January and we had an excellent view of the supernova through small telescopes. This type event is what all astronomers wait for and hope to see when they do happen. Peter Lind is a local amateur astronomer. He can be reached at ppjl@ juno.com.

The Art Life

WHAT TO DO

We want to know of fun and interesting local events. Send info to: donna@ncwgoodlife.com

}}} Continued from previous page and food at Cashmere St. Patrick’s parade at 207 Mission Ave. Red blend Night, 3/18, 4 – 11 p.m. Taste red blends from five Wenatchee Wine Country wineries at Lovely Grape in Quincy. Pybus university – Intro to beekeeping, 3/18, 7 p.m. Pybus Public Market. Info: pybuspublicmarket.org. Environmental Film Series – Pale Male, 3/18. 7 p.m. Pale Male is the true account of one of the most surprising and remarkable love stores in the history of New York. It begins in 1933 with a young man from Belgium. Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Chicago, 3/18, 8 p.m. Live performance. Town Toyota Center. Business and Professional Women of Wenatchee, 3/19, noon. Learn how to speak in public from former Toastmasters president, Leigh Pobst. Community

Foundation. GWATA’s Innovator awards luncheon, 3/19, noon. Awards to be given for entrepreneur of the year, tech savvy business of the year, future technology leader, innovative use of technology in the classroom, lifetime achievement award – Mike and JoAnn Walker. Wenatchee Convention Center. Info: gwata.org. Sensational Syrah Night, 3/19, 5 – 7 p.m. Try four Syrahs from Wenatchee Wine Country wineries. Tastebuds. Local’s Night Wine Tasting, 3/20, 5-8 p.m. Try a variety of wines from Wenatchee Wine Country wineries and sample food from several of the Pybus Market businesses. Pybus Market. Malbec Tasting, 3/21, starts at 6 p.m. Try several Malbec varietal wines from Wenatchee Wine Country at Lulu’s, East Wenatchee. Tayla Lynn, 3/21, 8 p.m. Live performance. Tayla Lynn is a southern girl who grew up in the heart of Tennessee, and her country bloodlines are undeniable. Her grandmother is country-music legend, Loretta

Lynn, and her father, Ernie, sang and played guitar in Loretta Lynn’s band. Tayla recounts “I started singing as soon as I opened my mouth.” Performing Arts Center. Info: pacwen.org. March Madness, 3/22, 3 – 7 p.m. Taste Cabernet Sauvignon at Sticks House of Cigars. Sherman Alexie, 3/22, 7:3 p.m. Acclaimed Sherman Alexie is the author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and over 20 other award-winning books. Much of his writing draws on his experiences growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Snowy Owl Theater. Cost: $25 general, $15 student. Info: abookforallseasons.com. Book signing, 3/29, 1 p.m. Amy Hatvany’s fiction grapples with life’s big moments rendered with compassion and understanding. In Safe with Me, Hannah, still reeling from grief, when she stumbles into the lives of the family whose daughter lived only because Hannah’s daughter died. A Book For All Seasons. Cost: free. Info: abookforallseasons.com. Library discussion, 4/2, 10 a.m. Jess Walter will be on hand to discuss his new book Beautiful Ruins at Waterville Library. On 4/15, 1 p.m. at Peshastin Library. On 5/6, 6 p.m. at Chelan Library. On 5/8, 4 p.m. East Wenatchee Library and on 5/22, 4 p.m. at Leavenworth Library. Cost: free. La boheme, 4/5, 9:55 a.m. and 7 pm. Encore. Chronicling Bohemian life in the Latin Quarter in 1830s Paris, La Boheme is perhaps the world’s most beloved opera. Snowy Owl Theater. Info: icicle.org. Tastes and Turns — A dinner Show, 4/5, 7 p.m. This exclusive dinner show will feature an assortment of talented dancers from ballet and lyrical to Irish Step, Latin and hip hop. As you dine right on the PAC stage, you’ll have closer than front row seats with each dinner course highlighting a different style of dance. Performing Arts Center. $150. Info: pacwen.org. GlenN Miller Orchestra, 4/8, 7:30 p.m. Performing Arts Center. Info: pacwen.org. Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra: Shakespeare, 4/12, 7 p.m. Performing Arts Center. Info: pacwen.org. Gloria Trevi, 4/18, 7 p.m. Live performance. Town Toyota Center.

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| March 2014

// SKETCHE

Mark Neher: life Stories written with an electric energy Deep into the preface of

Mark Neher’s Target Practice, a memoir published in 2009, and the first of his four books, is an intriguing passage. “Like most of the common folks I know, I carry my resume around in a mismatched set of unchecked baggage… I had to open those bags one by one to tell my tale and more than once got my feelings caught in the zipper. It was painful, but I found a way to laugh at myself.” His invitation to readers at the end of the same preface is: “I’m asking you to wade chest deep into my memories without your inflatable seahorse. The hero of the story promises to keep you afloat as you feel what it’s like to be in the bulls eye during target practice.” Writing teachers admonish their students to “write what you know.” Mark’s whole life in Wenatchee — he admits he’s traveled not much farther out — has fueled and fermented not only pure autobiography with its comedy and pain, but insightful fiction that even at its most absurd is steeped in fact. If you were to walk through Mark’s house, a big comfy ramble of rooms near East Wenatchee orchards, you’d learn that he is totally aware of who he is, and why he can write from 1,000 to 2,000 words a day — longhand, sans inner-editorial sluggishness — about “what he

ES OF LOCAL ARTISTS

“For me, every day is magic. I can’t believe it when someone says ‘I don’t have anything to write about.’ Every moment, everything you can see, every conversation — you can write about it all!”

Mark Neher and a suitcase full of family history: He knows about what he writes.

knows.” First, he knows the century he came from. Born in 1957, all his life he’s gathered around him modern American cultural artifacts — the walls are stacked high with possessions he says are an integral part of him: collections overlaid with collections of lunchboxes, flashlights, coloring books, cameras, posters, toy trains, tools… And he’s the self-appointed historian of a family that traces

its roots to 1120 England on one side, and to the King of Portugal on the other, with ribboned stacks of correspondence, genealogy charts, documents and photographs filed and crossfiled 100 years deep. Mark has grown children of his own, and he’s a friend/mentor to 16 nephews and nieces, so he’s watching the future closely, too. But most of, Mark is alert to everything around him. An insomniac with a grueling physical job (commercial custodian) and hypersensitive to stimuli, he’s got a kind of electric energy and says he’s uses every sense, March 2014 | The Good Life

constantly taking in and storing. And he’s saving it all up for stories. He said, “For me, every day is magic. I can’t believe it when someone says ‘I don’t have anything to write about.’ Every moment, everything you can see, every conversation — you can write about it all!” He’s been writing stories, as well as thousands of song lyrics, since he was six, but only in the last five years has he hit his stride as an author. Immersing himself in the local writing community, initially through Write On The River events, he’s honed his craft. Mark has learned to value both professional workshops and critique groups (“Which,” he said, “makes it damn well sure you write something for next time!”). He’s also had opportunity to trot out his pieces in progress and try them out via open mics and the writers competition (second place in nonfiction at WOTR was a huge early boost). Authentic reader response and public acclaim — he’s had a double shot of art-affirming experiences.

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Some still handwritten manuscripts, some typed by his daughter, some published, Mark’s writings are in various stages of development. Target Practice and Saturday Morning Sins are available online and locally, and The Bait Shop and Zombie Burger will soon be ready to read. But he’s holding them in abeyance, although a visiting editor recently asked for one to peruse (the literary version of an NCAA recruiter’s invite). That kind of interest is a tipping point for new authors, but Mark decided, “I’m just going to keep working at my job, keep writing at this pace, finish some more books. And then when the time feels absolutely right… well, maybe I’ll just sit back and dole ’em out like cards.” Here’s a sudden bonus thought from him, scratched onto doodled-upon notebook paper: “Everyone has a story. Story lives in everything you feel, you see, or you own. The only difference for writers is the urge to make monuments out of moments.” — by Susan Lagsdin

list of goals you want to reach before you kick the bucket? Send us an email — with pictures if possible — to: editor@ ncwgoodlife.com. We would love to share your feat with our readers.

column those were the days

rod molzahn

Saga of Wild Goose Bill: A man of his times “Wild Goose Bill,” also

known as Bill Condon, was born Samuel Wilbur Condit in Newark, New Jersey sometime in the mid-1830s. By the early 1850s he had crossed the country and reached the California gold fields. He didn’t stay long. By the middle of the 1850s Condit was in Walla Walla working as a packer. Packers wrangled mules and loaded them with supplies. Packing mules was an art. An experienced packer could load a mule with several hundred pounds of goods perfectly balanced, covered with a tarp and securely tied down. Stories were not uncommon of loaded mules stepping off the edge of a narrow trail then rolling down a steep hill to end standing up again with only scratches and the pack still solidly strapped down and showing no damage. Condit spent nearly 20 years in Walla Walla and in that time he must have met the other men in

his business including the packers of the Miller/Freer Company. In 1860 gold discoveries in Idaho followed by others in western Montana drew miners from across the West and every man needed supplies. Business was brisk for the mule trains from Walla Walla. Sam Miller and his partners, David and Franklin Freer, ran a train of 100 mules. It would have taken a sizable crew of packers to handle that many animals and loads. Condit might even have been one of the Miller/ Freer Company’s men. He clearly knew them. Supplies came by steamer from The Dalles to Wallula on the Columbia River. They were hauled from there to Walla Walla by wagon. The mule trains packed up there and followed worn Indian trails northeast to the mines in the Clearwater River drainage east of Lewiston, Idaho. The route was soon extended east across the Bitterroot Mountains to reach the mines in Montana.

By 1870 the Army had begun scratching rough roads over the old trails and wagons soon replaced the mule trains. Sam Miller and the Freer brothers, victims of progress and technology, sold their mules and equipment and looked for a new business. They heard of a trading post/store for sale at the confluence of the Columbia and Wenatchee Rivers. It must have sounded interesting to them. They had been operating a store off the backs of their mules for 10 years. It was a business they knew well. By April of 1872 they were at the confluence, possibly with Samuel Wilbur Condit, who they knew as Bill Condon. Miller/ Freer, Company took over the store on Aug. 27 and on the 31st the store ledger, kept by Sam Miller, showed that Bill Condon charged a $2.50 pair of pants. From then through Nov. 28 of that year he charged $35.05 in a variety of goods including shoes, one box of pills, crackers, bacon, sugar, tea, canned prunes

and salt. He also charged a knife, four yards of fabric, needles and thread, soap and 24 cents worth of whiskey. In addition he took cash advances totaling $287.95. He paid for all of it with credit for packing flour. Flour was a big seller at the store and it all had to be taken from the barrels it came in and packed in smaller sacks for sale. At the end of November, with just under $300 in his pocket, Bill Condon left the Wenatchee Valley and headed north for new country. It’s not known where he went first but by 1875 he had settled on the Columbia River at the mouth of Goose Creek. His homestead known as “Wild Goose Bill’s Ranch” became the site of the town of Wilbur. Condon platted it in 1889 and christened it with his own true middle name. Well before that, however, Samuel Wilbur Condit had become Bill Condon, the man

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| March 2014

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Miller and the Freers knew from Walla Walla, though during his 20 years in the Okanogan country he was known to all as “Wild Goose Bill.” The story of how and where he got that name comes in two versions that both agree on the how. Condon, they say, encountered a flock of geese one day and promptly began shooting them. An angry woman arrived insisting they were her flock of tame geese. Condon insisted that he thought they were wild but apologized and paid the woman for the damage. One version of the story claims it happened during Condon’s time in Walla Walla. The other version claims the incident happened across the border in British Columbia after Condon settled in the Okanogan. This second version also holds that the angry woman was a Catholic nun. Either way Bill Condon gained fame as “Wild Goose Bill.” In the early 1880s gold was found in several places along the streams and canyons west of the Okanogan River. Sprague, near Spokane, was a rail terminus and the closest supply source to the Okanogan country. Condon realized that the road from Sprague would pass through his ranch to cross the Columbia. Not a man to waste an opportunity, Condon built a store and hotel on his land. Chiefs Moses and Joseph were regular customers at the store. Condon also fashioned together a primitive toll ferry out of large logs chained together powered by swimming horses. It held one wagon and team. He later replaced it with a much improved cable ferry. Condon then engineered a very rough toll road from there to the Okanogan River across from the site of Omak. There he built a toll bridge across the Okanogan using wagon-width lengths of logs set on abutments of stone piles. He incensed the local Indians when he drove his wagon to the

Indian burial ground on top of a nearby hill and hauled away loads of large stones that covered the graves to construct his bridge abutments. The Indians must have found some satisfaction the following year, 1894, when a major flood carried the bridge away and scattered the stone piles across the river bottom. “Wild Goose Bill” didn’t get around to rebuilding his bridge. The next year a domestic dispute did him in. According to Bruce Wilson in his book, Late Frontier, Condon had, over the years, been mar-

ried to two Indian wives, first a Coeur d’Alene woman then later a niece of Chief Moses, but by 1894 they were both gone. Condon, about 60 years old then, became very taken with 19-year-old Millie Dunn, his housekeeper. After 18 months of living with Condon, Millie was wooed away by a young cowboy named Jack Bratton. Furious, Condon wrote a will and rode off to retrieve Millie from Bratton’s cabin. He found her there with another cowboy named Barton Park. When Millie refused to go

back with him, Condon drew his revolver and started shooting. Millie was hit twice in the arm before Park opened fire with a pistol and rifle. In the blaze of gunfire both men were killed. “Wild Goose Bill” never made it through the cabin door. He fell across the threshhold where he stood firing.

Historian, actor and teacher Rod Molzahn can be reached at shake.speak@frontier.com. His third history CD, Legends & Legacies Vol. III - Stories of Wenatchee and North Central Washington, is now available at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center and at other locations throughout the area.

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column ALEX ON WINE

ALEX SALIBY

Chill, man, that red needs to cool down The February Wenatchee

Enological Society wine tasting event, chaired by Bruce and Kathy Campbell, had a very specific purpose: to help wine drinkers see first-hand the benefits of aerating wine. As we were out of town, we missed the event, but feedback I’ve received of the intent and the ultimate results suggests the program was very well received by those in attendance. The theme of that event prompted this article, a kind of primer on the care and handling of wine after you’ve purchased it. After buying a bottle of wine, if you don’t properly care for it, what you do with it after you pull the cork won’t matter too much. Wine has three enemies: heat, light, and oxygen, with heat being a major one. Where do you put wine after you’ve brought it home? Most wine buyers have no problem buying a white wine and putting it directly into their refrigerator. Too often, though, they put that bottle of precious Cab or Pinot or Syrah in a slot in a wine rack in or above a kitchen cabinet. Yikes! Storage of wine is pretty

If you’ve just a few bottles of red wine in the house at a time, here’s an even simpler solution: refrigerate the red wine just as you would the white wine. simple: keep the wines cool. You need not have a wine cellar or one of those special wine refrigerators, but you do need to pay attention to the temperature of the area where you lay your wine down until you drink it. The ideal temperature for storing wine is 55 degrees; your kitchen is probably somewhere around 70 to 72 degrees. Worse, odds are pretty good that your kitchen also is a room in which the sun’s rays add to the heat in the space. That sunlight can bring the temperature of your kitchen to 78 or higher, especially on a summer’s day. Also, remember that hot air rises and cold air falls, so the temperature on your kitchen floor may be several degrees cooler than the ceiling area, and

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is probably cooler than the space around that bottle of wine in the kitchen cabinet wine rack. Solution: find the coolest space on the floor of some closet in the house. It’s not a perfect location, but it’s better than a well-heated, sunlit kitchen. If you’ve just a few bottles of red wine in the house at a time, here’s an even simpler solution: refrigerate the red wine just as you would the white wine. While refrigerator temperature is too cold for serving red wines, after you’re removed the bottle from the refrigerator and un-corked it — and perhaps decanted it for 30 to 45 minutes before you pour it into roomtemperature wine glasses — the wine should be at drinking temperature. I know I’ve said this before on this page, but it’s worth repeating: most Americans drink their white wines too cold and their red wines too warm. The perfect temperature for that bottle of Chardonnay is 55 degrees. The ideal temperature for most of the reds sold in NCW is between 61 and 64 degrees, with the lighter reds being served a bit cooler than the full-bodied, heavily extracted ones. Bruce and Kathy Campbell

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demonstrated the difference in the aromatic and taste sensations of properly aerated wines, and that is true of even those very inexpensive bottles off the grocery store shelves. It is also true those same wines will show their stuff better when stored and served at a more appropriate temperature. Here is an interesting and fun tasting experience to perform with your friends. Provide each taster with three glasses. Using three bottles of the same wine, decant one and wait half an hour. Then open the other two. Pour each person two ounces of the first wine straight from the bottle; pour the second through an aerator; pour the third from the decanter. Sniff and taste each one, noting and comparing the differences. I’m confident your senses will detect the difference between the wines in the three glasses. Alex Saliby is a wine lover who spends far too much time reading about the grapes, the process of making wine and the wines themselves. He can be contacted at alex39@msn. com.

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